"He was very clearly supportive of Roe v. Wade," Anderson said. "He said that as he ran for governor, as he ran for senator in Massachusetts. He told me, going into that race, that Roe v. Wade is working, we need to get beyond this issue." Romney has since moved to the pro-life camp, citing a personal realization during the debate over stem-cell research.

From the war in Iraq to gay issues, Anderson said he believes Romney "has caved into his handlers" and is adopting a viewpoint that "sells to the right-wing Christian Coalition. ... This is not the Mitt Romney I knew, and it really saddens me."

In fact, if not for the "flip-flopping," Anderson said he could get behind Romney's campaign.

"He needs to be himself," Anderson said. "If Mitt Romney would be himself, true to himself, true to the people of this country, I think he would be a great president."

Anderson instead backs the candidacy of New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. He told the Deseret Morning News last month that Richardson "is genuinely a good man with tremendous values. He's very effective — better experienced than any of the other candidates."

Richardson has a "real respect for international law and diplomacy" and has been "one of the best state leaders in the country on responsible environmental practices," the mayor said.

Anderson also discussed his call for impeaching Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney on Monday's radio broadcast.

"Impeachment, although I understand people's reticence about it, if you take a step back and look at all that's happened, impeachment has never been more justified," he said. "And my point is, let us make that statement to the rest of the world that this is not the American values."

He criticized Democratic congressional leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for saying that impeachment is "off the table."

"I've taken my 'proud Democrat' coffee mug out of my shelf and put it into storage for a while," he said.

The Democracy Now! interview is one of several radio spots the mayor has taken part in recently. Over the weekend, he twice appeared on Air America, and today he will be interviewed on Sirius satellite radio's Judith Regan Show.

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E-mail: dsmeath@desnews.com