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Politics

Rudy keeps it simple: He's not Hillary

By Times Wires
Published September 30, 2007

PALM SPRINGS, CALIF.   

Rudy Giuliani made a case for his presidential candidacy Saturday to a national convention of Republican women: He's not Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Speaking to a GOP organization devoted to getting women elected, Giuliani hammered on the Democratic front-runner and said he deserved its support.

He elicited laughs as he dismissed Clinton's calls for universal health coverage as "Hillarycare" and pooh-poohed her proposal to give every American-born child a $5,000 college bond.

The former New York mayor drew sustained applause when he described Clinton's response to a recent question about Iran as incomprehensible.

Throughout, he sought to undermine her appeal as a female candidate.

"American people decide who they want as president based on who they think the right person is for the country, not whether someone is a man or a woman or a different race," he told an audience of more than 1,500 women.

The Clinton campaign had no immediate comment.

WASHINGTON

McCain shares views on candidates' faith

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in an interview published Saturday that he would prefer a Christian president over someone of a different faith, calling it "an important part of our qualifications to lead." In an interview with Beliefnet, a multidenominational Web site that covers religion and spirituality, the Republican presidential hopeful was asked if a Muslim candidate could be a good president. "I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles ... personally, I prefer someone who I know who has a solid grounding in my faith," McCain said. "But that doesn't mean that I'm sure that someone who is Muslim would not make a good president." Later, McCain said, "I would vote for a Muslim if he or she was the candidate best able to lead the country and defend our political values."

Gingrich is out of the race before he's in it

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will not run for president in 2008 after determining he could not legally explore a bid and remain as chairman of his tax-exempt political organization, American Solutions for Winning the Future, a spokesman said Saturday. "Newt is not running," spokesman Rick Tyler said. Gingrich, a Republican, decided "to continue on raising the challenges America faces and finding solutions to those challenges" as the group's chairman, Tyler said.

Obama focuses on early primary voters

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., embarks Tuesday on a four-day campaign swing through Iowa, starting off with events that will mark the fifth anniversary of a speech he gave opposing the war at a rally in Chicago. His advisers have labeled it the "Judgment and Experience Tour," and Obama's success in persuading voters he has both may hold the key to his presidential aspirations. The tour signals the intensification of Obama's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and a commitment to spend more time in key early states such as Iowa and New Hampshire and fewer days in the Senate.

Meanwhile, in Iowa ...

A poll on the presidential primary in Iowa for Democrats and Republicans found little change in the candidates' standings.

Democrats

Hillary Rodham Clinton,

31 percent

Barack Obama, 25 percent

John Edwards, 21 percent

Bill Richardson, 10 percent

Republicans

Mitt Romney, 24 percent

Fred Thompson, 16 percent

Rudy Giuliani, 13 percent

Mike Huckabee, 12 percent

John McCain, 9 percent

The telephone poll for Newsweek was conducted Sept. 26 to 27. The margin of sampling error for 1,215 Iowa registered voters was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

[Last modified September 30, 2007, 01:54:02]