Rivals Boast Right Stuff in Fight for Conservative Cred

Republican presidential hopefuls fought bitterly over who has the best conservative credentials in an Orlando, Fla., forum last night. Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee cited their conservative executive experience, while John McCain and Fred Thompson touted conservative Senate voting records. Giuliani generally sparred with Thompson, and McCain with Romney.

"The senator never had executive responsibility. He has never had the weight of people's safety and security on his shoulders," Giuliani said of Thompson. Thompson decried Giuliani's suspiciously liberal support of abortion rights, gun control and his 1994 endorsement of Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo. McCain accused Romney of "trying to fool people about your record." (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)