Giuliani claims conservative credentials

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani emphasized conservative stances on war, health care and education today as he kicked off the Conservative Leadership Conference in Raleigh.

The conference, which continues Saturday at the Sheraton Raleigh Capital Center, is sponsored by the John William Pope Civitas Institute, a Raleigh think tank.

Before an audience of about 450, Giuliani, a Republican candidate for president, attacked recent efforts by Democrats to set a deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. He said he could not recall when "a retreating army" was "forced to print out an exact schedule" on its retreat.

As for the partisan debate on health care, Giuliani suggested that a universal health care system proposed by some Democrats would ultimately cost taxpayers more money.

"You just wait when they make health care for free, then you'll see how expensive it becomes," said Giuliani, adding that he was quoting a voter who recently discussed the issue with him.

Giuliani was introduced to the crowd by conservative donor Art Pope, a former state legislator. Pope noted that Giuliani has a record beyond City Hall as a U.S. attorney who prosecuted organized crime.

"We all know Mayor Rudy Giuliani as a courageous leader in the midst of the terrible 9/11 tragedy," Pope said. "We also know Rudy Giuliani has an outstanding record of leadership and public service for decades before 9/11."

Giuliani thanked Pope after taking the stage, noting that he has been described by a "local paper" — The News & Observer — as "the knight of the right."

He went on to call for more charter schools as a way for competitive forces to replace teacher tenure with merit-based pay, which, he said, would improve education. He referred to many schools in the current system as part of a "job protection system."

Facing a tough question about his support for gun control, Giuliani said some limits are necessary though he supports the Second Amendment. He brought up the recent shootings at Virginia Tech.

"This is not a situation in which you need more laws — the laws were there. It was just a matter of they're not being enforced properly, and they're not being enforced strictly enough or efficiently enough," he said.

Three Republican gubernatorial candidates — Fred Smith, Bill Graham and Bob Orr — will speak at the conference this weekend, as will U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, the governor of South Carolina and a bevy of other representatives, including U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, a Democrat.

Among those spotted in the crowd today:

* Former N.C. attorney general, secretary of state and Democratic nominee for governor Rufus Edmisten.

* Former Republican gubernatorial nominee Patrick Ballantine has been seen making the rounds. Ballantine lost to Democratic Gov. Mike Easley in 2004. Ballantine says he's considering a run for lieutenant governor.

* Former lieutenant governor, U.S. representative and 1992 Republican gubernatorial nominee Jim Gardner.