Weyrich explains his backing of Romney

Paul M. Weyrich, an elder statesman of the religious right, said today that he believes Mitt Romney has made a sincere conversion from a supporter of abortion rights and gay rights into an opponent of both.

"I believe that he has flip-flopped in our direction, if you will –- the direction of the values voters -- and I think he will stay there," Weyrich said in a telephone interview, his first since announcing the endorsement. "I think he has a good deal of presence and ability to explain things and so I think he's the candidate this year."

Weyrich, a founder of the Heritage Foundation and the Moral Majority, on Monday became the latest in a string of conservative activists to endorse Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, in the Republican presidential primary. Yesterday, Weyrich said he had considered endorsing Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson but wanted, above all, to stop Rudy Giuliani, a supporter of abortion rights.

"In analyzing the primary situation, I believe it’s going to come down to a contest between Giuliani and Romney and I don't want Giuliani," Weyrich said. "I feel that it would be a mistake for the Republicans to nominate him –- so I decided that Romney would be the better of the two."