With a little more than week until the Iowa Caucus, today's edition of the Des Moines Register includes some less than flattering details regarding Rudy Giuliani:
As a presidential candidate, Giuliani is trying to balance his strong credentials on law and order with his more liberal record on social issues such as abortion, gun control, gay rights and immigration. He must also capitalize on the fame he gained on 9/11 without appearing to exploit it. On the stump, he has begun stressing his executive-branch experience and emphasizing his record in New York of reducing crime and welfare rolls, and innovating a statistically based approach to policing.
As mayor, Giuliani was known for being blunt to the point of rudeness. He didn't hesitate to tell constituents they were wrong, in need of psychological help, or simply a "jerk," as he told one caller to his weekly radio program.
Giuliani has not provided details on how he would achieve many of his goals. As mayor of New York, Giuliani was a champion of cracking down on minor infractions because letting them slide might create an atmosphere in which major crime flourished. On social issues, he is to the left of the national Republican Party and supports gun control and abortion rights.
But Giuliani's shifting on gun control (which he says should be left to the states) and on immigration (he stresses the need for secure borders instead of immigration's benefits) has left even some of his supporters confused about his political philosophy.
Giuliani's premium on loyalty has led to embarrassment. He gave a top administration job to Russell Harding, son of the head of the Liberal Party, which was instrumental in his election. Harding ended up in jail for corruption and possession of child pornography.
Giuliani promoted his former police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, as a candidate for secretary of the federal Department of Homeland Security. Kerik turned out to have a slew of confirmation-killing problems - from failing to pay his nanny tax to using as a love nest an apartment near ground zero intended as a respite spot for workers at the site. Kerik was indicted Nov. 9 on charges of federal tax fraud.
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