Washington D.C., Aug 15, 2008 / 00:00 am
Speaking on his campaign plane on Wednesday morning, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain said that some potential running mate choices would not necessarily be ruled out because of their support for abortion rights.
The four men most frequently mentioned as potential running mates are reportedly Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Ridge and Lieberman both support permissive abortion laws, while Romney supported abortion rights at least until November 2004.
"I think that the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party," McCain said, according to the Weekly Standard web log. "And I also feel that--and I'm not trying to equivocate here--that Americans want us to work together. You know, Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don't think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out."
McCain made these comments while responding to a question about his remarks earlier this year during the Republican primary season concerning whether New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg would make a good running mate. While praising the mayor, Sen. McCain said that Bloomberg’s support for abortion would make such a choice difficult.