The Talented Rudy Giuliani, Like it Or Not

It's Republican presidential candidates, for a change, who are waging internal warfare. They're suspending their country-club manners and putting aside those Reaganesque caveats on unified civility and going at each other like Democrats.

The spectacle isn't nearly as juicy as the old days of political mayhem -- the really good old days of America's first full century, when presidential hopefuls accused one another of monarchism, atheism, adultery, bigamy, and even murder. Those were the fanatical days of politics as the national sport -- the bloodier the better -- probably never to return. But we junkies will take what we can, and be thankful for it.

The principal problem for junkies outside the Republican circle, however, is that the meanest junkyard dog appears -- and I stress "appears" -- to be coming out on top. Love him or hate him, you have to admit Rudy Giuliani is molding himself into one helluva formidable national candidate, and it's only because he finds himself in his most profitable of natural habitats: that, simply, of junkyard doggism. It's what Rudy does best.

Plus, he's able to shift strategic gears without flinching or apologizing. For months his campaign downplayed the significance of winning, placing or showing in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, since Mitt Romney was thumping him in those states, anyway -- a kind of "You can't fire me, I quit" approach -- and Rudy seemingly possessed the subsequent, Super Tuesday firewalls of the East-coast states and Illinois.

But suddenly, it's a whole new ballgame.

Rudy is now tearing at Mitt's pant leg in both the early states, and he's admirably open about his reasons for the modified strategy: "It is not inconceivable that you could, if you won Florida, turn the whole thing around," he said on the campaign trail in New Hampshire. "I'd rather not do it that way. That would create ulcers for my entire staff and for me.... We want to win as many of the early ones as possible. That's why we're here and not in Florida right now."

Consequently, the only folks getting ulcers are Rudy's opponents.

Last weekend Giuliani was positively gleeful as he tore into Romney over a Willie Horton redux, and, to hardcore conservatives' delight, he's stomping the former governor for seeing to it that Massachusetts citizens were -- Heaven forbid -- provided health care, Hillary-style: "When you look back on Romney's governorship of Massachusetts, there's only one accomplishment, and he's running away from that." Which he is.

Rudy also had some fun with Fred Thompson, who is rumored to be in the race but spends inordinate amounts of time these days assailing, of all things, Fox News. "Asked about Thompson's criticism that he spends too much time talking about his record in New York, Giuliani laughed. 'I will not really respond to Fred, because it might discourage him from campaigning, and he's doing so little of it I don't want to discourage him.'"

There's no good comeback to a dig like that.

What's working most for Giuliani seems to be twofold: He has loosened up; he has started to enjoy himself on the campaign trail -- he's not the uptight attack dog he once was; he's now the smiling attack dog. And he's following Karl Rove's dictum of, "Never explain; explaining is losing."

He simply blows off criticism of his often deplorable record. Bernie Kerik as his right-hand man and a Homeland Security chief? Hey, mistakes happen. Problems with his 9/11 management? Hey, nobody's perfect. Those other mistakes in the past -- any of them? Hey, mistakes are part of experience, and he promises he'll make more in the future. So stuff it.

Meanwhile, compared to Rudy's casualness with fangs, his major opponents appear defensive, nervous and out of kilter -- except for Mike Huckabee, who already sees himself in the number-two catbird seat.

In short, if Rudy's friendly junkyard-dog routine prevails in the primaries, he'll likely play it to even greater effect in the general election, since appearing defensive, nervous and out of kilter seems to come alomst naturally to Democratic presidential candidates.

Comments

[Dana Hatch]

I don't buy it. Rudy's a stooge. It's not him, it's that the ownership of the big media corporations have anointed him the Republican they want in office and are adopting a "hands-off" approach to him just as they did with Bush, the first convicted criminal to take over the White House.

[john polifronio]

We've been hearing two contradictory things. 1) Hillary is media's annointed and favorite candidate. 2) Giuliani is media's annointed and favorite candidate. You can't have it both ways. But knowing media, you won't have to have it both ways; it'll be one way, namely Giuliani is far and away, media's candidate. Media being among the most treacherous corporate giants in this society, are always looking not for someone that they can support, but someone that will support "them."

[shaamex]

In addition to Rudy getting the "Aw that's just Rudy" position coz we know all his stuff up front(still more we don't know)he's a suit first. Exchanging a Bullheaded
Bush for a "Aw you gotta luv him" is not any kind of a leap. He's better than Bush at what and when it hits the fan. He's a man who's not afraid of the fan, that doesn't make him good for the whole country. I'm not impressed with the reasons he gets endorsed either. Because he more electable?
He's TV schooled,Press conferences won't scare him in the least no matter how bad the news. Bad news for the American people, don't worry Rudy gives great press. Again, a great Rudy does not mean a great President. And how will the public find that out a bit too late? Like his second wife found out she was divoriced, from the media.