Romney's honesty problem
By Joan Vennochi
Boston Globe Columnist
MITT ROMNEY is determined to prove he's pro-life. How about proving he's pro-truth?
Every time Romney tries to explain his evolution from supporter to opponent of abortion rights, his honesty comes into question. That's because his explanations over the years don't add up.
When Republican presidential candidates were asked recently to cite their biggest mistake, Romney replied: "Probably from a political standpoint and a personal standpoint, the greatest mistake was when I first ran for office, being deeply opposed to abortion but saying, 'I support the current law,' which was pro-choice and effectively a pro-choice position. That was just wrong."
The truth is, when Romney ran for office in Massachusetts he went far beyond saying, "I support the current law."
He begged voters to accept him as an embracer of abortion rights. "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal," he said. He staked his credentials on his mother, Lenore. He said she ran for the Senate in 1970 on an abortion-rights platform, inspired by the death of her son-in-law's teenage sister from an illegal abortion. "My mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that," he said.
In June 2005, former Globe columnist Eileen McNamara challenged Romney's assertion of his mother's pro-choice position. Two longtime Romney family friends and political supporters -- former governor William Milliken and former Republican National Committee co-chairwoman Elly Peterson -- told McNamara they could not recall Lenore Romney speaking out publicly for abortion. If she had, it would have represented a dramatic change of heart and break with the Mormon Church. Peterson, who worked on Lenore Romney's campaign, said, "If it happened, I'd remember it. It didn't and I don't." Milliken, who served as George Romney's lieutenant governor, also expressed skepticism.
In response to the column, Romney produced a statement of his mother's position at the time: "I support and recognize the need for more liberal abortion rights while affirming the legal and medical measures need to protect the unborn and pregnant woman." The statement is ambiguous and Romney never accounted for the ambiguity.
(Continued here.)
Boston Globe Columnist
MITT ROMNEY is determined to prove he's pro-life. How about proving he's pro-truth?
Every time Romney tries to explain his evolution from supporter to opponent of abortion rights, his honesty comes into question. That's because his explanations over the years don't add up.
When Republican presidential candidates were asked recently to cite their biggest mistake, Romney replied: "Probably from a political standpoint and a personal standpoint, the greatest mistake was when I first ran for office, being deeply opposed to abortion but saying, 'I support the current law,' which was pro-choice and effectively a pro-choice position. That was just wrong."
The truth is, when Romney ran for office in Massachusetts he went far beyond saying, "I support the current law."
He begged voters to accept him as an embracer of abortion rights. "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal," he said. He staked his credentials on his mother, Lenore. He said she ran for the Senate in 1970 on an abortion-rights platform, inspired by the death of her son-in-law's teenage sister from an illegal abortion. "My mother and my family have been committed to the belief that we can believe as we want, but we will not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that," he said.
In June 2005, former Globe columnist Eileen McNamara challenged Romney's assertion of his mother's pro-choice position. Two longtime Romney family friends and political supporters -- former governor William Milliken and former Republican National Committee co-chairwoman Elly Peterson -- told McNamara they could not recall Lenore Romney speaking out publicly for abortion. If she had, it would have represented a dramatic change of heart and break with the Mormon Church. Peterson, who worked on Lenore Romney's campaign, said, "If it happened, I'd remember it. It didn't and I don't." Milliken, who served as George Romney's lieutenant governor, also expressed skepticism.
In response to the column, Romney produced a statement of his mother's position at the time: "I support and recognize the need for more liberal abortion rights while affirming the legal and medical measures need to protect the unborn and pregnant woman." The statement is ambiguous and Romney never accounted for the ambiguity.
(Continued here.)
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