My husband, a former Marine, recently made an announcement in
his most forceful tone: "I'll never vote for Giuliani for
president even if he's running against Hillary Clinton."
Of course, he never voted for Mr. Giuliani in the mayoral
elections (I did, twice). My husband does concede that if Mr.
Giuliani were now running for mayor, he would pull that lever
because he wouldn't be afraid the candidate could affect national
policy on social issues. It's voters such as my spouse that Mr.
Giuliani will have to convince to win the Republican nomination.
Personally, I think it's too early for a coronation, so I'll wait
until I've heard everyone's position on what I regard as the
urgent issues. From what I've been hearing lately, however, the
idea that Mr. Giuliani simply can't win the GOP crown is fading
fast. Perhaps that's because the former New York mayor is going
all out to convince the Republican base that he's not as liberal
as believed.
He's pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay union, and yet he's not
the kind of liberal we're supposed to shun. How is that possible?
Diehard conservatives like my husband regard Giuliani as a
typical RINO (Republican in name only), and as long as he
supports the liberal agenda they're not likely to support his
candidacy.
On the other hand, many Republicans were sharply affected by last
November's disastrous election and have become more pragmatic
about their priorities. Mr. Giuliani, while adhering to his
positions, insists he is a strict constitutionalist and will
appoint judges who are the same.
If that's the case, what about gun control? During a news
conference in Sacramento, Calif., last week, Mr. Giuliani said
his tough stance on guns helped bring down crime while he was
mayor. He insisted that we have the right to bear arms and that
what he did as mayor would not affect hunting. The Second
Amendment, however, is not about hunting: It's about ordinary
citizens defending themselves.
In the opening scenes of the film "Blood Diamond,"
villagers in Sierra Leone are suddenly attacked by truckloads of
armed rebels, many of whom are just boys. They kidnap the
able-bodied boys and men, chop off the hands of others, and kill
mercilessly. They can do this because the villagers are for the
most part unarmed and unable to defend themselves. This helps to
illustrate the case for our Second Amendment: As long as guns are
still being manufactured, criminals will get their hands on them.
The trouble with most gun control laws is that they disarm only
the law abiders. Criminals break laws. Crime didn't go down in
New York City because of gun control but because the NYPD cracked
down on quality-of-life crimes, netting the run of the mill
criminal type.
While gun control is just one of the hot-button issues that may
present a problem for Mr. Giuliani during the Republican primary
campaign, there is an overriding issue that might make this and
other social issues moot - the war on terror.
I briefly met Mr. Giuliani in 2004 at a Harvard Club luncheon
honoring the posthumous publication of William E. Simon's
autobiography. His speech made everyone in the room cheer, and
perhaps inspired some of the conservatives present to look at Mr.
Giuliani as a possible 2008 candidate. Recalling the events of
September 11, 2001, Mr. Giuliani said his first thought was a
sense of amazement that he was asking the White House for air
support to defend New York City. The second thought he had was,
"Thank God George Bush is the president of the United
States."
He then suggested correctly that if Vice President Gore were
president, he probably would have followed the Clinton strategy
of a symbolic response, then a retreat. Mr. Bush on the other
hand was "determined, focused, and offered a clear vision of
what he intended to do." That, Mr. Giuliani said, is the
importance of leadership.
He recently reiterated his admiration for President Bush, and if
there are some who think he's just posturing to seduce the base,
I can attest that his appreciation is sincere and predates his
presidential ambitions.
If anyone can truly appreciate the price of terror on our soil,
it is Rudy Giuliani, and it is refreshing that he hasn't backed
away from Mr. Bush as so many of his fellow Republicans did last
November. That was disgraceful, and I'm glad these fairweather
"friends" are out of office.
It's way too early to predict what will happen next year, but Mr.
Giuliani is a definite contender.