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Romney: Giuliani 'Roses and Petals' for Clinton Health Plan

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November 27, 2007 1:34 PM

ABC News' Matt Stuart Reports: Republican candidate Mitt Romney, R-Mass., today accused GOP rival Rudy Giuliani of flip-flopping on healthcare pointing to the former New York Mayor's support of then-First Lady Hillary Clinton's plan in 1994.

Speaking with reporters after a Florida campaign event, Romney said when the former First Lady's healthcare plan was announced in the mid-nineties "Rudy Giuliani had nothing but praise for Hillary's plan. Why the change? Why the change in attitude?"

Romney said that Giuliani was once "all roses and petals for Hillary plan" suggesting that the former Mayor's presidential ambitions influenced him to change his position.

The Romney campaign followed the comments with a press release, citing a New York Times article that quotes Giuliani in a 1994 radio interview saying that the Clinton health care plan was "doing some pretty good things."

Romney attacked Giuliani for having a "fact problem" and concluded saying "facts are stubborn things and that the Mayor needs to check the facts before he launches attacks."

In response Giuliani's communications director Katie Levinson said Romney "is once again standing in a glass house with a bunch of stones in his hand."

"Governor Mitt Romney passed a mandate and tax hike laden health care plan in Massachusetts which Hillary Clinton’s own legislative director said was just like HillaryCare," Levinson said in a statement.

Giuliani's camp also notes that "the mayor has been a proponent from the beginning for privatization to drive down costs and improve overall quality."

The exchange followed a weekend of back-and-forth between the campaigns.

Romney also responded to a report in the Politico where he is quoted as saying at a private fundraiser that he could not "see that a cabinet position would be justified" for a Muslim.

Romney claimed the quote was inaccurate, rather that he didn't consider it important to have a Muslim  in his Cabinet.  "His question was: 'Do I need to have a Muslim in my Cabinet to be able to confront radical jihad and would it be important to have a Muslim in my Cabinet?' And I said no. I don’t think that you have to have a Muslim in the Cabinet to be able to take on radical jihad."

The Romney camp also asserts that Mansoor Ijaz, the gentleman quoted in the Politico report who had the exchange with Romney, is a Democratic fundraiser with a political agenda.

Asked if he would be open to having a Muslim person in his Cabinet, Romney stated he is "open to having people of any faith and ethic group but it would be based upon their capacity and their capabilities and the values and skills that they could bring to the administration.

"But I don’t choose people based on checking off a box," Romney added.

November 27, 2007 in Vote 2008: Republicans | Permalink | User Comments (11)

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User Comments

Flip flop, flippidy flip flop rudy!

Posted by: kyle | Nov 27, 2007 3:04:14 PM

There is not ONE issue Rudy has NOT flip flopped on. And every reporter knows this, which is why they won't call Rudy a flip flopper. (Reporters hate the truth.)

Posted by: cxb | Nov 27, 2007 4:06:52 PM

Great! Both Giuliani and Romney are for Government mandated health care. So with Giuliani the cross dresser, you buy it straight from the government, and with Romney the flip flopper, you have a government forced choice of a certain small number of providers (ain't that ripe for even more scandals?) Are there any Republicans out there who actually believe in the free market, small government, following the US Constitution including the commitment to not policing the whole world on America's dime?? And if there is, do they have a consistent record of those principles? Anyone???

Posted by: squirrelbrewer | Nov 27, 2007 4:57:49 PM

Is that a trick question, Squirrelbrewer? ... and neither of them have a Blimp! GO RON PAUL!

Posted by: Uniblogger | Nov 27, 2007 5:13:59 PM

im writing a paper on you Giuliani

Posted by: schmo | Nov 27, 2007 5:29:14 PM

Mitt Romney is Honest and has the integrity to be President of the United States. Guiliani has to many moral and ethical problems that the republican party does not need.

Posted by: Dan Lindsey | Nov 27, 2007 5:29:28 PM

Guilliani's desparate attempts to stifle Romneys success in the polls by lying, misrepresenting the truth and making extremely hypocritical accusations are about to come back to bite him in the back end.

Posted by: svb | Nov 27, 2007 8:03:13 PM

Giuliani is no different than Hillary, they are one in the same.

Posted by: Tess, California | Nov 27, 2007 9:07:53 PM

I understand that peoples persectives change over time - you grow older and wiser; but wouldn't you think that once you have reached their ages you might be set in your ways? I know you can teach an old dog new tricks, maybe these guys need to learn how to sit and stay with one point of view.

Posted by: HLWomack | Nov 27, 2007 9:41:30 PM

So Mansoor Ijaz, the guy who blew the whistle on Romney`s Muslim remark is accused by Romney of having a political agenda. And Romney doesn`t? (Unlike his sons, of course.) Mitt needs to grow up and stop the flip flopper`s whine every time we notice his change in positions.

Posted by: Luke | Nov 28, 2007 1:44:19 PM

Rudy Giuliani is a great candidate for the Repubs. I'm not worried.

Posted by: Rudy | Nov 30, 2007 2:15:44 AM

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