Romney and Giuliani Turn Negative

[senseamp]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...1512.html?hpid=topnews

Romney responded by tweaking the former New York mayor, saying Giuliani sounded increasingly worried about losing the nomination. "He's not in the top three in Iowa, and he's not in the first two in New Hampshire, so desperate times for Mayor Giuliani call for desperate efforts," he said before leaving Concord for campaign events in western New Hampshire.

Ouch, zinger.

Romney dramatically escalated the attacks Sunday with a salvo at Giuliani, who had earlier criticized him over a judicial appointee who had overruled a lower court and ordered the release of a convicted killer, who has since been charged with another killing. Romney has called on the judge to resign. With his wife, Ann, and other members of his family at his side, he said it is essential for Republicans to pick a nominee "who can distinguish himself on family values" from the Democratic front-runner, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.).

Of course Hillary did everything to keep her marriage together and raised a fine daughter in the process, while Rudy's own kids won't vote for him. So maybe they should learn from Hillary on family values instead of lecturing her.

He then proceeded to link Giuliani to Clinton on abortion, gay rights and immigration, and ended with tough words for the former mayor's support for former New York police commissioner Bernard B. Kerik to be secretary of homeland security. Kerik, a longtime friend and confidant of Giuliani's, was recently indicted on multiple corruption charges.

"I believe it's important for someone to be pro-life, to be pro-family and pro-traditional marriage, to be in favor of legal immigration but against illegal immigration and to have a record of insisting on the highest ethical standards, and I'm afraid that on all four of those measures that Mayor Giuliani would be the wrong course for our party," Romney said. "He is in the same position as Hillary Clinton on life and on marriage and on the ethical history of his administration, and also on sanctuary cities and immigration policy."

The gloves are coming off, let the bruising begin

On health care, Giuliani challenged Romney to stand behind the plan enacted while he was governor, which mandates health care for all individuals in Massachusetts. "The oddest thing is he doesn't want to do for America what he did for Massachusetts," he said, laughing. "He did mandate health care for Massachusetts, which is Hillary Care, and he doesn't want to do that for America."

Bwahahaha, Mitt was for HillaryCare, before he was against it.

Romney insisted that his decision to talk about family values on Sunday had nothing to do with the personal life of a rival who has been married three times. He said he was angry that Giuliani had used the judicial controversy to attack him after he had refrained from personally criticizing Giuliani over Kerik's indictment. "I must admit that of all the people who might attack someone on the basis of an appointment, I thought he would be the last to do so," Romney said.

Looks like real mudslinging is starting on the GOP side. I guess they are figuring out that bashing Hillary alone isn't going to decide the nominee in their own party.