Lorie Byrd on GiulianiOur longtime buddy Lorie has a
guest column in Townhall on her affection for Rudy G.
An admirer of Giuliani and a believer that he had a good shot at the presidency long before Hurricane Katrina, I now find myself becoming a full-fledged fan of the prospect. I will likely get some grief from some of my fellow pro-life, social conservatives, but I hope they will consider not only what an attractive candidate Rudy would be in the post-Katrina political climate, but also to consider the attributes Giuliani would bring to the presidency.Rudy is probably the only social liberal who could win the Republican nomination. As I've said before, I'm more of a Republican than I am a conservative, so I certainly would not be overly disappointed if Giuliani manages to get the nod.
Giuliani achieved giant stature in my eyes, and those of most other Americans, with his actions following 9/11. Because he is already known as a uniter and a strong leader, he will be resistant to attempts to portray him otherwise. He can also claim to have received a large number of votes from Democrats in past elections. Not many, if any, of the other potential Republican presidential candidates can say that.This is perhaps the key point. Rudy is a winner. We all sense that. Unlike John McCain, who would also be likely to win if he got the nomination, Giuliani has smartly refrained from criticizing other Republicans (at least not since the days when he notoriously endorsed Mario Cuomo over George Pataki). What it will boil down to in the end is whether Republicans are feeling confident in 2008, or if they sense the possibility of defeat. If it's the former, a reliable conservative like (say) George Allen will probably get the nod. If it's the latter though....
