McCain, Giuliani, Romney Qualify Support for Bush's Policies - Yahoo! News

McCain, Giuliani, Romney Qualify Support for Bush's Policies - Yahoo! News: "McCain, Giuliani, Romney Qualify Support for Bush's Policies" Kristin Jensen and Kim Chipman Fri May 4, 6:17 AM ET May 4 (Bloomberg) -- The 10 Republican presidential hopefuls mostly supported restricting abortion rights and preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons during their first debate last night, while distancing themselves from President George W. Bush's policies. Appearing together for the first time ahead of the 2008 primary elections, most of the candidates agreed on the importance of the U.S. prevailing in Iraq. Then they criticized the way Bush has handled the conflict. ``We must win in Iraq,'' Arizona Senator John McCain (news, bio, voting record) said. Without mentioning the president by name he said, ``The war was terribly mismanaged and now we have to fix a lot of the mistakes that were made.'' McCain and his top two rivals, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and ex-Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, also agreed that it's unacceptable for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. ``It's the worst nightmare of the Cold War, isn't it?'' Giuliani, 62, said during the event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. As much as national security, the debate focused on social issues, particularly abortion. Giuliani stood out for taking a stance in favor of some abortion rights. The former mayor, who spoke out on issues such as fighting terrorism, needed several promptings before giving a clear answer on why he supported public funding for abortions in New York. ``I hate abortion,'' Giuliani said, after the moderator returned to him again for clarification on where he stood. ``But ultimately, since it is an issue of conscience, I would respect a woman's right to make a different choice.'' Stem Cells Most of the presidential hopefuls, including Romney, said they also opposed federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells. McCain and Giuliani broke from the crowd to say they supported the work, with McCain saying it's a ``tough issue.''