Religion test

Politics | Candidates in both parties offer a glimpse into their fundamental beliefs | John Dawson

The crackle and buzz coming through Rudolph Giuliani's microphone at a June 5 debate among Republican presidential candidates wasn't just a high-octane spitfire performance by the former New York City mayor.

Just as the GOP hopeful defended himself against charges from a Catholic bishop that his abortion views made him comparable to Pontius Pilate, Giuliani's microphone abruptly began breaking up and feeding back. When moderator and CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer quipped that the problem might be caused by lightning from above, other candidates playfully backed away from their lecterns. The former mayor quipped: "Look, for someone who went to parochial schools all his life, this is a very frightening thing that's happening right now."