Wednesday, April 18, 2007

The Candidates and the Court Decision   [Byron York]

Following up on something Kathryn mentioned earlier, looking at the Republican candidates' reaction to the Supreme Court decision today, it's fair to say that, for three man who all agreed with the decision, the statements are quite different.  Here's what John McCain said:

Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children. It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures. As we move forward, it is critically important that our party continues to stand on the side of life.

Here's what Mitt Romney said:

Today, our nation’s highest court reaffirmed the value of life in America by upholding a ban on a practice that offends basic human decency. This decision represents a step forward in protecting the weakest and most innocent among us.

And here's what Rudy Giuliani said:

The Supreme Court reached the correct conclusion in upholding the congressional ban on partial birth abortion. I agree with it.

McCain's statement laid it on pretty thick, Romney's was concise but strongly worded, and Giuliani's was just concise.  Terse, actually.  And the question, not from a substance point of view but in terms of simple political style, is: Why couldn't Giuliani have gone about it just a bit more?  Put a few words of emphasis in there to stress that he felt strongly about it?  If you're going to agree with a decision and endorse it, why not really do it?  Gilding his statement a bit, one GOP strategist told me today, would have been "a layup" for Giuliani.  Yet he didn't do it.

04/18 06:17 PMShare