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The Crist Problem

12:57 PM, May 22, 2008 • By JOHN MCCORMACK
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Jonathan Martin reports that Florida governor Charlie Crist, a possible McCain VP choice, "was once pro-choice and is now pro-life, though he displays little enthusiasm for the issue." That's not quite accurate. In this profile for National Review, John J. Miller noted Crist's muddled thoughts on abortion:

More troubling may be Crist's views on abortion. "I am pro-choice," he said a decade ago. "I believe that a woman has the right to choose." As a member of a key committee in the state senate, he cast the deciding vote against a bill that would have required a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking abortions….

Today, Crist calls himself pro-life. "I changed my mind," he says. "I think it's important to protect the sanctity of life." Unlike Mitt Romney, Crist has no story about how and why his beliefs changed. "It's just a maturation of my views," he says. Does he believe Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided? "No. I don't think it should be overturned. I'm not running for the Supreme Court." Can he think of a single new restriction he would place upon abortion in Florida? "No. I'm comfortable with the status quo. So are most Floridians."

So Charlie Crist says he's pro-life, but his position on abortion is nearly identical to Barack Obama's. As McCain said in January: "I don't know how you could nominate a pro-choice VP without a real backlash from the party." That same backlash might occur if McCain chooses a "pro-life" running mate who supports the status quo.

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