Lieberman to speak at GOP convention

WASHINGTON – Socially moderate former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Joseph Lieberman will have featured speaking roles at next month’s Republican National Convention, party officials announced Wednesday.

Giuliani, who once thought he would be the one accepting the GOP nomination, will deliver the keynote address on the Tuesday night of convention week. The mayor’s unorthodox campaign never found favor with the party’s faithful, and he ended his presidential bid without winning a single delegate. But he remains a popular figure among Republicans, and is thought to appeal to Democrats and independents.

But he fairly quickly gave antiabortion activists in the party something to grouse about. Asked in a conference call with reporters whether Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, could choose a running mate who supports abortion rights, Giuliani said yes.

He said he knew McCain’s first criterion would be selecting a person “who could immediately be president of the United States.” He added: “If that person happens to be, among other things, pro-choice, the party will support that.”

McCain, who adamantly opposes abortion rights, declined to discuss the running-mate issue Wednesday with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham, who said that “from the conservative perspective, we are literally imploring you to not turn your back on your great pro-life record over decades.”

McCain outraged some conservatives last week when he said in an interview that a potential nominee’s views on abortion rights may not be enough to cost a spot on the ticket.

Another abortion-rights supporter is Lieberman, an independent senator from Connecticut. Lieberman, who ran with Democrat Al Gore in 2000, supports his former party enough to give it control of the Senate, but is an ardent backer of McCain, a longtime friend and colleague. His address on the opening night of the convention is intended to signal McCain’s independence.

“He’s known to buck his own party,” said a Republican official involved with the planning. “McCain’s like that, too, sometimes.”