For McCain, Views on Abortion Come to the Fore
John McCain is campaigning on his social conservative record in S.C.
(The Wa****ngton Post).
By Juliet Eilperin
ON MCCAIN'S STRAIGHT TALK EXPRESS, S.C. -- When Sen. John McCain
(R-Ariz.) was courting New Hamp****re voters, the issue of abortion
rarely came up in his town hall meetings or stump speeches. But now, he
mentions it on nearly every stop.
When asked to explain his position during a town hall meeting in
Florence this morning, McCain replied, "I've been pro-life my entire
political career. I have never changed, in even-numbered years or
odd-numbered years, or depending on what office I was running for. Now,
that's a cheap shot," he joked, alluding to his rival Mitt Romney, who
backed abortion rights while running for statewide office in
Massachusetts but now opposes them. "The rights of the unborn are as
im****tant as the rights of the born."
In an interview with re****ters afterward on his campaign bus, he said he
wasn't surprised the issue of abortion had surfaced more often now that
he's running in South Carolina. "Yeah, I think Henry [McMaster, the
state's attorney general] will tell you, this is a very socially
conservative state, especially this part of the state."
McCain has also touted the fact here that he backs judges that "will
strictly interpret the Constitution." When asked whether he would use
abortion as a litmus test for an judge he would nominate to sit on the
Supreme Court, the senator replied, "I think Roe v. Wade was a wrong
decision, of course. But I'm not going to say, 'I'm going to appoint
this judge because they're going to overturn Roe v. Wade.'"
"It's not social issues I care about. It's the Constitution of the
United States I care about," he said, adding that when it comes to many
social conservatives here, "They will trust my judgment to appoint a
justice to the Supreme Court that will strictly observe the Constitution."
Posted at 5:06 PM ET on Jan 18, 2008
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