Jan. 24 Republican debate transcript

Williams: Governor, thank you.

Senator McCain, because it's your mother, 15 seconds.

McCain: Well, now that Sylvester Stallone has endorsed me, I'm sending him over to take care of Chuck Norris right away.

I'm going to get him.

There you go. And I'm glad that "Stormin'" Norman, General Schwarzkopf has endorsed me, as well. I'm very honored. We'll send him, too.

Williams: We're getting into the final round of questions where it makes staying to time, yellow lights, then red, essential. And we're going to enforce it.

These questions are designed to speak to who you all are in terms of how you counter the attacks against you from your opponents, the weaknesses your opponents, among others, perceive.

Mayor Giuliani, we're going to begin with you. In tomorrow morning's editions of the New York Times, they are out with their endorsements in the New York primary, Senator Clinton on the Democratic side, Senator McCain on the Republican side.

In tonight's lead editorial, they say, quote, "The real Mr. Giuliani, who many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man. His arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking."

How can you defend against that in your hometown paper? How have you changed as a man since this portrait?

Giuliani: Because I probably never did anything the New York Times suggested I do in eight years as mayor of New York City. And if I did, I wouldn't be considered a conservative Republican.

I changed welfare.

I changed quality of life. I took on homelessness. I did all the things that they thought make you mean, and I believe show true compassion and true love for people.

I moved people from welfare to work. When I did that, when I set up workfare, the New York Times wrote nasty editorials about how mean I was, how cruel I was. I think there's a serious ideological difference.

And I worked for Ronald Reagan. And I remember once, when I was in the Justice Department, the New York Times wrote a very laudatory editorial about my boss, Bill Smith, the attorney general. And Bill was very nervous that Ronald Reagan would get upset that we were off agenda because of the good New York Times editorial.

So the reality is that I think there is serious ideological differences. That probably was some of the nicest language they've written about me in the last six months.

Williams: Governor Romney, since we've been on the air tonight, one of the other campaigns has faxed us with a charge about you that you've heard before, that Governor Romney, quote, "changes positions with the wind."

One of your own advisers admits the perception among all of the candidates on stage is that you have changed over time your positions, that you haven't paid your dues. The New York Times yesterday called you the most disliked of the five.

Your defense on all that?

Romney: Gosh, that's tough on their part, but, you know, I'm not terribly worried about their attacks, frankly. I'm not going to Washington to make friends with politicians; I'm going to Washington to change things. So I'm not going to worry about that one.

I can tell you that I'm proud of the things that we've been able to do in my state.

And when people come after me and say, where do you stand on this or where do you stand on that, I can point to a very simple way to find out exactly where I stand, and that is look at my record as governor.

Every issue that we're talking about in this race that's of a domestic nature, I dealt with as the governor of Massachusetts. And so on the issue of abortion, for instance, I came down on the side of life consistently as governor in every way I knew how I could do that. At the end of my term, I got awarded by the Citizens for Life in Massachusetts the leadership award for my service in that regard.

In terms of marriage, as the governor, I fought same-sex marriage every way I could find a way to do that. And I actually went to Washington to testify in favor of an amendment to preserve the sanctity of marriage.

I also have a very clear record with regards to taxes. I said I was not going to raise taxes, lowered them 19 times. Balanced the budget four times. Created surpluses that reestablished a ready (ph) day fund of over $2 billion.

I have a sound record also with regards to the Second Amendment. As I indicated, the legislation I signed was legislation worked out between two sides, two very different sides who came together to find ways to make the Second Amendment work in our state.

So I've got a record that's solid. I know that now and then my opponents will try and cause questions to arise in people's minds. But I'm proud of where I stand and I'm happy to show people my record to show it's been consistent.