Scenes from the news conference in which Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president: “To me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorism,” Robertson told reporters. The second-most important issue, Robertson said, is fiscal discipline. And then there are the social issues. “Uppermost in the mind of social conservatives is the selection of Supreme Court justices,” Robertson said, and Giuliani “has assured the American people that his choices for judicial appointments will be men and women who share the judicial philosophy of John Roberts and Antonin Scalia.”

Asked to elaborate on his decision to endorse a pro-choice candidate, Robertson said, “I think he has articulated a philosophy that he really is for the life of the unborn.” Robertson said that for social conservatives, “the most important thing…is the selection of judges,” but beyond that, “As long as the Supreme Court has ruled as it has, there’s very little a politician can do.”