Thompson Whacks Giuliani on Home Turf

Oct. 15, 2007— -- Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson came to Rudy Giuliani's home turf of New York City Monday to assail the former mayor as insufficiently Republican.

"Some think we can best beat the Democrats next year by becoming more like them," Thompson told ABC News in an interview. "I don't. I don't think the mayor has ever claimed to be a conservative."

When told that Giuliani identifies himself as a conservative on economic, national security and counterterrorism issues — though not on social issues — and asked if that isn't enough, Thompson said, "People have to decide that for themselves."

Giuliani campaign press secretary Maria Comella responded, "Mayor Giuliani is the only candidate who does more than just talk about the importance of Republican principles — he actually has the track record to back it up.

"It's easy to throw around meaningless rhetoric, but quite another thing to stand up to a Democratic majority and successfully cut taxes, control spending and reform welfare."

Thompson's salvo, which he planned on repeating Monday evening at a meeting of New York's Conservative Party, fit in perfectly with the latest back and forth among the GOP presidential candidates about who is authentically Republican, and who is faking it.

It's more than traditional campaign rhetoric — they are challenging one another's very legitimacy as Republicans. It's a dynamic that seems natural in this race, with no clear Republican front-runner who can claim overwhelming support among the GOP's conservative base.

The dust-up began over the weekend with comments made by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Nevada.

"I know there are some out there who say, 'Oh, we can't win the White House unless we take a left turn ... show we're more like Democrats,'" Romney said.

"Look, in a race between someone who pretends to be Democrat and a real Democrat, the real Democrat's going to win. And so, I believe we have to once again stand firm. More social conservatism, economic conservatism as well as national defense conservatism. And I tend to be a candidate that is a real Republican, through and through. And on that basis, I think we reignite the excitement in our party."

Romney also said that he "speaks for the Republican wing of the Republican Party."

Though Romney's comments seemed aimed at Giuliani, with whom he has been arguing over taxes and international relations, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took umbrage, assailing Romney as a candidate with a liberal history on social issues, who, in the 1990s, donated money to Democratic candidates in New York and New Hampshire. He assailed Romney on the stump over the weekend, and then repeated his charges on Monday's "Good Morning America."

"We are all Republicans ... but the fact is, we have to run on our records," McCain said. "And his record, when he was in Massachusetts, was he had many positions, most positions in direct contradiction to the ones he proclaims now, including being ardently pro-choice, saying he did not want to go back to the Reagan-Bush years ... and supporting Democrats for various offices."

Taking a swipe at Romney's credibility, McCain said, "this is about being honest with the American people, and if you're really going to get their respect, you've got to respect them first."

The Romney campaign responded with testimonials McCain offered Romney during the latter's 2002 run for governor, as well as an attack on McCain for having kind words over the weekend for New Hampshire's Democratic governor.

Romney's comments were treated with bemusement by Giuliani in Portsmouth, N.H. "This is what we are having a primary for, right?" Giuliani laughed. "We are letting the Republican Party decide — Republican members decide — who should represent the Republican party. I think I have a pretty good claim on it."

Giuliani seemed to say he was unquestionably the leading fiscal conservative in the race. "I think, in one area, I have the strongest results. Honestly, I have the only results. I'm the only one who really reduced taxes," said Giuliani. "I reduced taxes 23 times. I reduced them by over $9 billion."

In his interview with ABC News, Thompson allowed that Giuliani had "done some laudable things for the city — there's no question about it. But we're talking about national issues here, concerning taxation, regulation, illegal immigration and things of that nature, that transcend everything else — so, we gotta decide what our principles are, and I believe in sound conservative principles of lower taxes, less regulation and security.

"I am the consistent conservative who, over the period of eight years at the national level, that's fought for lower taxes, less government, less regulation, welfare reform, a balanced budget and appointing conservative judges," Thompson said. "That's been my record from the very beginning of my public service — that's my stance today, and that will be my stance tomorrow."

Giuliani said the mantle of who is the best Republican would be decided by voters. But even as he did so, he mentioned his crossover appeal to Democrats that Romney and Thompson were attacking to begin with.

"Every four years, we let the Republican members decide who would be the best rep of the Republican Party, who would be the best fiscal conservative, who will defend the country the best, who represents their values the most. Let the party decide that, and then let's make sure we choose someone who can beat the Democrats."

Christine Byun, Avery Miller and Jan Simmonds contributed to this report.