Rudy Giuliani has likely made it much more difficult for himself to ultimately win the Republican nomination, with his comments today that he still supports public funding for abortions:

"Ultimately, it's a constitutional right, and therefore if it's a constitutional right, ultimately, even if you do it on a state by state basis, you have to make sure people are protected," Giuliani said in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash in Florida's capital city.

A video clip of the then-mayoral candidate issuing a similar declaration in 1989 in a speech to the "Women's Coalition" appeared recently on the Internet.

"There must be public funding for abortions for poor women," Giuliani says in the speech that is posted on the video sharing site YouTube. "We cannot deny any woman the right to make her own decisions about abortion."

When asked directly Wednesday if he still supported the use of public funding for abortions, Giuliani said "Yes."

"If it would deprive someone of a constitutional right," he explained, "If that's the status of the law, yes."

But the presidential candidate reiterated his personal opposition to the practice.

"I'm in the same position now that I was 12 years ago when I ran for mayor — which is, personally opposed to abortion, don't like it, hate it, would advise that woman to have an adoption rather than abortion, hope to find the money for it," he said. "But it is your choice, an individual right. You get to make that choice, and I don't think society should be putting you in jail."

Conservatives who have had difficulties with Rudy in the past have been willing to give him somewhat of a pass, looking for a strong, competent manager/wartime leader and formidable potential opponent against the Democrats in what looks to be an increasingly tough 2008 election for Republicans. But this will not fly. Even those conservatives who have been hunting for reasons to like Giuliani are simply never going to be able to stomach Rudy's continued advocacy for public funding of abortions, whatever his rationale for doing so.

The clamor for Fred Thompson to get in the race, and get in soon, is likely to increase in the coming days, as the conservative hunger for a tried, true and loyal conservative candidate increases.