The American Spectator

p> DISCOUNTING VALUES br> Re: W. James Antle III’s Against Discount Values : /p>

When Mr. Antle suggests that social conservatives should spend energy to try to move Giuliani toward their way of thinking, what he’s really saying is that they should try to get him to say the right things. This is precisely the lesson that Mitt Romney has put into practice for his own campaign the last couple of years, and it has even worked to some extent, witness ostensible cognoscenti such as Mr. Antle accepting as bona fide Romney’s claimed pro-life conversion, his many contrary past utterances, actions and inactions on the matter of abortion notwithstanding.

p>Note to Messrs. Antle, Tyrrell et al. at TAS : There are hundreds of thousands of voters in the social conservative bloc who understand for what it is the tactic of politicking known as “Screw what I really think; just tell ‘em what they want to hear.” As much as we despise Bill Clinton’s worse half, we are animated far more so by our pro-life principles, which are nonnegotiable. Our prospects for having a reason to turn out in November of ‘08 grow bleaker by the week. br> — Francis M. Hannon, Jr. br> Melrose, Massachusetts /p>

Whether or no some Evangelical conservatives warmed up to Giuliani in D.C., yours truly, Catholic and conservative, simply will not vote for a pro-abortion, pro-queer, antigun hedonist who was a draft dodger during my little war in Vietnam. I.e., I won’t vote for Giuliani even at the risk of letting Hillary capture the White House.