[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"Rudy will modify stances on abortion, guns and gay marriage, moving rightward (not far enough for a lot of people here, myself included, but rightward just the same)."

The days of switch-hitting on issues, I think, are over. The New Media makes that very, very difficult. Don't forget the flipflop campaign against Kerry.

[Artemis Webb]

You're correct. Republicans are held to a much higher standard by the press (as well as by our own). If Rudy flip-flops it would just backfire on him. Best to go out there and show all his true colors...good and bad.

[John Robertson]

I never said switch hitting. I never said flip-flopping. I said modification. I suggested movement. I do not see it as hypocritical, if the shift has happened across a reasonable time. Kerry's problem was that he could embrace diametrically opposite positions on an issue in the same week!

I personally think that politicians who undergo honest change, and can articulate it (whether they have moved to a position I like or not) are worth a look at, if only on the honesty level. It is absurd to say no politician can ever change his position on an issue. Why--can't I have been brainwashed into thinking Roe v. Wade was great law at 19, but now that I'm in my 50s, I think it's an abomination, on many, many levels?

That transformation took growth, over time, both intellectual and moral.

And another thing (continuing with the abortion issue): If we have lobbied and prayed for change for so long...and a former "pro-choice" politician decides, after time and consideration, that he is now pro-life, do we reject him for being a hypocrite? Or do we welcome him and thank God?

[LALALAW]

Rudi will tack right if he gets the bug. Call it flip / flop if you must, but he is an A list pol who can and will sell with Repub primary voters and the gen public. He will correctly point out that as Mayor of the very liberal NYC (and short lived Senate candidate, his positions on issues were reflective of his broad citywide and State-wide constituencies. As president, his positions would moderate toward the conservative view as his constituency broadened to include all those red states to which he was formerly not accountable. He will pick a conservative running mate--Rice, Brownback, Allen, and they will prevail against the over-triangulating, shrill A#*, liberal behatch--Hillary-I loathe the principles on which this Country was founded and thin the U.S. Constitution is modeling clay-Rodham.