Hm. A bit of pre-Ames fireworks between Rudy and Romney…
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney attacked rival Rudy Giuliani Wednesday, implying that Giuliani supported illegal immigration when he was mayor of New York.
“If you look at lists compiled on Web sites of sanctuary cities, New York is at the top of the list when Mayor Giuliani was mayor,” Romney said at the Abbey Hotel here. “He instructed city workers not to provide information to the federal government that would allow them to enforce the law. New York City was the poster child for sanctuary cities in the country.”
The Giuliani campaign issued a statement rejecting the charge. Campaign communications director Katie Levinson said, “I am not even sure we should weigh in on this, given Mitt Romney may change his mind later today about it. [Insert by Jim: Good line!] Mitt Romney is as wrong about Mayor Giuliani’s position on illegal immigration as he was when he last mischaracterized the mayor’s record and later had to apologize. New York is the safest large city in America since Mayor Giuliani turned it around — it is not a haven for illegality of any kind. The mayor’s record speaks for itself.” New York became a sanctuary city, where illegal immigrants enjoy some measure of protection, through an executive order signed by Mayor Ed Koch in 1989, five years before Giuliani became mayor in January 1994.
But if Giuliani inherited the policy, he reissued it and seemed to embrace it.
Ahem. Governor, didn’t you just say in the last debate…
ROMNEY: I think Rudy Giuliani is a terrific American and a wonderful mayor. That was very early in the process. I think I’ve got a better view…
STEPHANOPOULOS: In March.
ROMNEY: Yes, it was in March. He wasn’t a candidate yet. I think I have a better perspective on his views now — not entirely, but a pretty good view on his positions. And I’d rather let him speak for him, his own positions, than me speak for them. And I’ve done by best to let other candidates speak about their own positions… So I’m not going to try and elaborate on his positions. I can tell you that I am pro-life and that I’m opposed to same- sex marriage, and I support the Second Amendment. Those are my views. Why don’t we let each of us describe our own views, as opposed to taking time to describe those of our colleagues?
Isn’t Romney describing Rudy’s views on immigration law enforcement? Isn’t he “trying and elaborating on his positions”? Didn’t he just say he wasn’t going to do that?
UPDATE: Another NROnik suggests I’m being unfair, that Romney is commenting on Rudy’s record, not his positions.
Well, wait. Romney first made his “we don’t talk about each other’s positions” declaration after Steph played this Brownback ad:
ANNOUNCER: Mitt Romney is telling Iowans that he is firmly pro-life. Nothing could be further from the truth. As late as 2005, Mitt Romney pledged to support and uphold pro- abortion policies and pass taxpayer funding of abortions in Massachusetts.
His wife, Ann, has contributed money to Planned Parenthood. Mitt told the National Abortion Rights Action League that, “You need someone like me in Washington.”
I don’t like the Brownback ad — must we see negative ads this early? — but at least two facts are in it, the donation from Mrs. Romney and the NARAL comment. Some might argue the ad implies that Romney is currently pro-choice. But I think the ad could also be interpreted as an accusation that Romney’s pro-life conversion is all for show, that he doesn’t really have any intractable principles on abortion, and he’ll take whatever stance gets him elected.
I can’t help but suspect Romney’s “we don’t talk about each other’s positions” stance was a I’m-going-to-take-the-high-road defense during the tense moment of the debate, and he didn’t realize as he was saying it that within a few days, he was going to be whacking away at Rudy on immigration…