If you are a Republican like me, you probably know that the right is going to have a real long shot in winning the 2008 presidential election. President George W. Bush really screwed things up for us, did he not? But Democrats should not be celebrating right away because the Republicans have their secret weapon waiting in the wings: Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Who else would be better to take over the presidency than Giuliani? Personally, when I think of 9/11, I do not think of Bush speaking to the nation, but Giuliani. If you remember, he was the voice of calm and confidence during those times of fear and uncertainty, not Bush. And after all, we are in this whole mess because, in a way, of
9/11.
Who else is better to take us out of this messy situation that Americans are getting more tired of by the day than Giuliani, who is otherwise hailed around the world during 9/11 as “America’s Mayor?”
But 9/11 is not the only selling point for him. Before 9/11, Giuliani was also known as one of the toughest crime fighters from his days as a U.S. attorney. Giuliani also saw New York’s revival when he was mayor. New York is an enormous city and managing it is almost like managing the United States in a way, and he made that city great again. Giuliani also wins some sympathy points among his voters as he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and has bravely come back from it. All this backs him up as being a warrior and proven leader.
But what differentiates Giuliani even more from the other candidates is that he has the courage to agree with Bush on some points. The key word is some points. The trend today is to hate Bush and criticize him on everything he does. But Giuliani has an open mind. He still supports Bush with the Iraq policy and unlike Bush, he has begun to speak out on the problems and the possibility that another plan might be necessary.
Giuliani has also spoken on the War on Terror and supports it along with Bush. But then again, he says that it may take decades to accomplish it. In the meantime, the nation should shift its focus to other important issues within the nation that can be accomplished more easily, unlike Bush whose whole focus seems to be on Iraq. He also criticizes Bush bluntly, which is fashionable with voters. He criticizes the president on issues such as the administration’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Much has been said about Giuliani’s personal life, like his three marriages and his estranged son. Sure, he still supports his earlier pro-abortion and pro-gay statements and that could hurt him, too. But at the same time, it could help him. But that does not seem to matter. The people have spoken and Giuliani is the leader for the Republican candidate at consistent thirty-something points since the beginning of 2007. Sen. John McCain is second at around ten points behind Giuliani.
Republicans should just cut to the chase and elect Giuliani to represent them in the 2008 presidential elections. The bottom line is simple: Giuliani speaks to the hearts of Americans because of 9/11 and he did it in an admirable way. He seemed like more of a leader at that time than Bush. Who else would be better as president, considering the times and chaos, than Rudy Giuliani?
Daniel Macri is a junior film major.
