Gary Bauer Compares Mitt Romney and Rick Perry on Abortion

Conservative leader Gary Bauer, who headed up the Family Research Council and ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, contrasted Republican front-runner Mitt Romney and possible presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry of Texas on abortion in a message sent out to supporters on Monday.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is making headlines -- and probably not the ones he wants. Over the weekend he refused to sign a pledge from a leading pro-life group promising to appoint pro-life individuals to his Cabinet and ban taxpayer funding of abortion, noted Bauer of Romneys refusal to sign a pledge being circulated by the Susan B. Anthony List PAC. By refusing to sign the pledge, Romney has reignited the debate over one of his most glaring weaknesses -- his commitment to values issues. The Romney campaign evidently does not believe this is a serious problem for its candidate. I don't believe any GOP presidential nominee can win in 2012 unless they are unambiguously pro-life and believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

In contrast to Romney's ambivalence, Texas Governor Rick Perry stole the show this weekend at the Republican Leadership Conference, continued Bauer, who now leads the influential Campaign for Working Families PAC. Perry told conservatives to stop apologizing and speak with pride about our morals and our values. Top aides to Governor Perry indicate he has not yet decided whether to run and will likely wait until after a special session of the Texas Legislature concludes at the end of the month before deciding.

Bauer also praised another GOP hopeful -- U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota -- in a column for iconic conservative journal Human Events.