The reasons for this campaign to clarify Giuliani's position on abortion include his failure to speak clearly when fielding the question at the first GOP primary debate last week:

The shift in emphasis comes as the Giuliani campaign has struggled to deal with the fallout from the first Republican presidential candidate debate, in which he gave halting and apparently contradictory responses to questions about his support for abortion rights.

Mr. Giuliani's aides were concerned both because the responses opened him up to a new round of criticism from abortion critics, who have never been happy with the prospect of a Republican presidential candidate who supports abortion rights, while threatening to undercut his image as a tough-talking iconoclast who does not equivocate on tough issues. (New York Times, May 10, 2007)

It must be said that Florida's decision to move its primary forward and Giuliani's deep pockets also mean he has the potential to deemphasize early primaries like Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Those three are traditionally primaries in which pro-life voters exercise considerable sway.

So, it will be interesting to watch Giuliani's strategy unfold and to discuss the relationship between his debate challenges (balancing straight-talk and clarity with an unpopular (in the GOP primary) position.

Stay tuned.