Romney changes positions again

When it comes to flip flopping the Republican party has been pretty damn good lately, while Senator John Warner (R-VA) is still the king of flip flops in my mind, Mitt Romney is certainly making the case for the top spot. First, he was for gay rights, then against it, going as far as leading a protest in Boston to tell legislatures to change the Massachusetts law which allows gays equal rights under the state Constitution. Now, likely not coming as a surprise to anyone, he's switching his position on abortion...again. First he was against it, then for it, now he's against it again.

The first time (Romney expressed an opinion on abortion) was when Mr. Romney was a young man in the 1960s and his brother-in-law's sister -- an engaged-to-be-married teen who became pregnant -- died in a botched illegal abortion.

Roughly three decades later, while campaigning for the Senate in 1994, Mr. Romney described that tragedy as the event that triggered his conclusion that regardless of personal beliefs, abortion should be safe and legal.

He repeated that position while running for Massachusetts governor in 2002. In both contests, he attempted to underscore his support for abortion rights as he sought the favor of moderate and liberal voters.

Today, as Mr. Romney plots a national campaign for president -- he makes a formal announcement on Tuesday -- he is seeking to reassure social conservatives pivotal to winning the Republican nomination that he sincerely opposes abortion. He describes himself as pro-life, argues that Roe v. Wade should be replaced with state abortion regulations and cites the science he studied amid a legislative debate over embryonic stem-cell research as the basis for his position.