Texas Governor Rick Perry Endorses Giuliani

Written by Warren Mass

Wednesday, 17 October 2007 00:00

Yes, I know, politics makes strange bedfellows and all that. But the news still came as a surprise. At a news conference with the New Yorker, Governor Perry explained the reasons for his decision for the benefit of his largely pro-life constituency in the Lone star State:

"The one [issue] that I wanted to hear him give me an answer and look me right in my eyes was that issue of who can I expect, what type of individual can I expect on the Supreme Court. He clearly said ... you can look for people like Scalia and Roberts and Alito. Let me tell you, I can live with that."

The Dallas Morning News reported that Perry said when he buys a pickup truck, he doesn't rule it out simply because it has one option he doesn't like. Maybe Perry thought that Texas-style analogy would mollify pro-life voters from El Paso to Texarkana. However, this one-time resident of both New York and Texas has serious doubts that most Texans would buy a pickup that is all show — and no go. Lacking respect for the dignity of human life isn't the same thing as missing chrome wheels, it's more like missing an engine!

Allow me to get personal about Rudy Giuliani, because there is enough about the man with which I identify that I would love to give him a fair hearing. Both Rudy Giuliani and I were born in the New York metropolitan area in the 1940s. Giuliani's Italian immigrant grandparents settled in Brooklyn, where my Italian immigrant great grandparents (whose family name was Solari) also settled. Even without knowing the Giuliani family personally, I would bet money that Rudy's grandmother always carried a rosary in her purse and cooked a big batch of pasta every Sunday, because our origins are so predictably similar. Both Giuliani and I were educated in Catholic schools; however, Giuliani must have been out sick on the day when the Christian Brothers at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School taught that abortion is a grievous moral offense against man and God.

Like most Americans, I found Giuliani's rallying speeches after 9-11 to be uplifting, as he sought to inspire a city I had once been proud to be part of get back on its feet after being sucker punched by al Qaeda. And sure, it gave me goose bumps to watch TV on Sept. 25, 2001 as the mayor and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre brought fresh hope to the suffering city at Yankee Stadium — where I had attended many a ballgame as a boy.

But politicians are experts at capitalizing on human emotions, which is why our evaluation of them must be logical and based on facts. And the fact of the matter is, even if Rudy Giuliani were pro-life — which is certainly a most important issue — he still would have serious deficiencies. For example:

In 1994, Giuliani endorsed Democratic incumbent Governor Mario Cuomo over his Republican opponent George Pataki because of Pataki's proposals to cut taxes.

During his eight years as mayor, Giuliani was a consistent proponent of taxpayer-funded stadiums.

In a June 5, 2007 debate of presidential candidates, in answer to a question about whether the use of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons should be considered to keep Iran from gaining its own nuclear weapons, Giuliani answered: "I think it could be done with conventional weapons, but you can't rule out anything and you shouldn't take any option off the table."

Giuliani was described by Newsweek magazine as "one of the most consistent cheerleaders for the president's handling of the war in Iraq."

Giuliani has supported the Bush administration's use of intrusive domestic surveillance.

At least pro-life voters should not wrestle with many moral dilemmas in evaluating the Giuliani candidacy, as they might with some other Republican candidates.

Interestingly, while I have much in common with Rudy Giuliani, culturally, but little regard for his politics, there is another candidate in Texas whose background is vastly different from mine, but who nevertheless has excited many people interested in preserving freedom. That candidate is Rep. Ron Paul. Not only is Dr. Paul (an OB-GYN) thoroughly pro-life, but he adheres completely to the U.S. Constitution as his playbook for making political decisions, as his voting record shows.

It is curious as to why Governor Perry would overlook a candidate from his own state, whose thinking is certainly more in sync with most Texans than is Giuliani's, to endorse the out-of-stater. Is Perry betting on becoming a possible vice presidential candidate or is he looking to get some other plum posting in a potential future Giuliani administration?

Having introduced it, I'll leave such speculation to the pundits, however. Choosing the president of the United States is not a horse race — there is no payoff for betting on the winner. However, there is a much greater payoff, in the long run, in following the principles set down by those who gave us our Constitution.

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