I'm going to say this now, and will probably be saying it again in another way, but what I think needs to happen in 2008 is Triangulation from the Right.
I haven't had a lot to say about Giuliani but his name comes up in conversation often and I do have one or two things to say. The first is that I don't think he's a Uniter. But I know for a fact that he is a better communicator than GW Bush. I think that's better than a wash. People are going to decide, evidently, whether they like someone often in spite of the facts they present. So if you can hate Bush and Giuliani, at least Rudy gives a smaller target. That's because if Rudy does anything, he'll argue toe to toe and leave you clear on which way you can go. I think Bush tells too many dumb jokes that really aren't funny, but Giuliani will cut to the quick on any issue.
I have said that Rudy as the mayor of NYC is likely to have an appropriate amount of executive experience requisite for the Executive Branch. He's also got the inside track to a Constitutional scholar who has a lot of experience dealing with the Supreme Court. He's obviously going to be hard on crime since worked as a US attorney and basically destroyed the Mob in NYC. That's a huge plus as far as I'm concerned. He used RICO. Bam. So he understands how to go after the money and put criminal organizations out of business.
Thirdly, Giuliani is not a social conservative. I say that puts him in the same boat as Schwartzeneggar and of course he's in the mainstream of NY Republicans + Christie Whitman. As you know I'm a fan of the Manhattan Institute and the Main Street Republicans. So to the extent that a Giuliani candidacy puts the social engineers of the Right on notice that they cannot hijack the party with their vertical issues, it's all good.
Still, I need to hear Rudy say the right things on the war and foreign policy. But you know what, he's a grownup. That's the best thing about him.
