Posted on 04/21/2007 4:13:57 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
With former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani consistently leading early polls for the Republican presidential nomination, pundits have spilled an ocean of ink concerning his electability.
Having recently sat down with the man, let me tell you why I consider Giuliani a candidate wholly appropriate for our times.
As someone who spends a lot of time thinking and writing about globalization and security, I was brought in recently by the Giuliani campaign to discuss these topics with the mayor.
This is standard practice as presidential candidates gear up, and Giuliani's camp is the fourth I've visited in the last year.
I'll make no attempt to describe the mayor's positions on anything we discussed, because that's his job as candidate.
Let me instead give you a sense of what it was like to engage him over a couple of hours on my areas of expertise.
I've interacted with numerous government, military and corporate leaders over the past couple of decades, so I'm able to draw some comparisons.
First off, Giuliani is a serious and wide-ranging reader, not just a skimmer of "bullets" prepared by his staff.
When he reads your stuff, you better remember what you wrote because this guy really absorbs material.
Second, Hizzoner engages you directly versus having his subordinates draw you out.
Typically, you brief the senior player only to have staffers toss out most of the follow-on questions.
With Giuliani, you lay out your basic argument briefly and then it's off to the races. As an experienced prosecutor, the questions flow quickly and to the point.
Third, the mayor's been around this world.
No matter where the conversation wandered, Giuliani had personal contacts or experience or knowledge to draw upon. Better yet, when something came up that he didn't know, the mayor was quick to admit it and toss out questions that drove further exploration.
Fourth, Giuliani likes intellectual debate but doesn't need to dominate.
Everyone around the table has the same opportunity to chime in, but don't expect to be asked. So the atmosphere is competitive but open.
For a famous egoist, I was surprised to find the mayor doesn't mind being interrupted. With a lot of big names, that's strictly verboten in such venues.
Fifth, the mayor seems unusually focused on how to get things rolling as opposed to where things will ultimately end up.
Many senior leaders focus on defining goals to the n-th degree while short-circuiting the how-to-get-there discussion, but Giuliani clearly likes the "how" as much as the "what."
Lastly, as veteran politicians go, when viewed up-close Rudy Giuliani comes off as one happy warrior.
He gives off neither the "angry outsider" nor the "appointed by fate" vibe. Instead, he seems genuinely thrilled at the prospect of tackling a lot of tough issues on a scale even grander than those found in New York City.
The man will never sport a tan, but he's definitely relaxed and ready.
One reason why the current race seems so wide open is that - in historical terms - sitting senators have a very hard time getting elected.
Typically, Americans choose their chief executives from the ranks of governors and wartime heroes, two life experiences that naturally display desired leadership characteristics.
In this age of globalization and our long war against radical extremism, Mayor Giuliani is unusually credentialed to serve as president.
Thomas P.M. Barnett is a visiting scholar at the University of Tennessee's Howard Baker Center and the senior managing director of Enterra Solutions LLC. E-mail him at tom@thomaspmbarnett.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.
What are those, butterflake rolls?
I wonder if Mr. Barnett is pro-abortion or anti-gun?
best democrat in the field, imo.
“I wonder if Mr. Barnett is pro-abortion or anti-gun”?
I don’t get it...mustard on top of puff pastries just doesn’t do it for me. And hey, I like reading this kind of stuff....on all the candidates. I don’t have a clue who I’ll end up voting for. Too early, and too many lies to sift through.
This writer is obviously a Guiliani supporter, with ties to Tennesee’s Howard Baker, making this article (in an Ohio paper no less), an interesting read. Why you ask? Because Howard Baker supports Thompson’s presidential run.
________________________________________________
http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2007/03/breaking_news_b_6.shtml
“BREAKING NEWS: Baker confirms Thompson push
WASHINGTON — Former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker Jr. said today he is urging his friend Fred Thompson to run for president and encouraging others to convince him.
Baker, R-Tenn., in a telephone interview with The News Sentinel, said: “I’m planting the seed that he might run or might be convinced to run.” Baker also was White House chief of staff to President Reagan and most recently served as U.S. ambassador to Japan.”
_____________________________________________________
I figure most of what the candidates say right now is spinning crap. I don’t believe any of them. But I am all for reading why others support or don’t support a particular candidate.
This article is not just puff pastry; it is stale to boot.
It’s the yeast that makes them rise...
Well, Howard Baker might support Fred Thompson, but I’ll consider supporting Fred anyway.
Hard to disagree with that. Romney is a former governor and Thompson and McCain's candidacy began in the Senate.
If McCain is smart he will stress his war experience and downplay his senate career. The Keating five to McCain Feingold experience does not speak well for McCain.
But Giuliani's real claim to fame is he is a warm, personable, forthright but strong personality that people gravitate to. Previous studies have shown majority of people vote the person not the policies. Finally, Giuliani seems to tolerate criticism without becoming mean or defensive; this is a remarkably rare trait in politicians and usually is rewarded by the electorate. He does have a history of prostatic cancer but so did Bob Dole--it seems the public accepts this cancer and it makes little difference as to why.
As far as former Senator Thompson he has many good personal qualities but recently he has had significant life changes. He has a new job--taking over from Paul Harvey on the radio. He has a new, young wife--and a four month old daughter. He has a three year history of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma--not altogether explained away and always a nagging concern. But I think his big problem is never mentioned--he approaches this contest with a hesitating attitude with no fire or reason to run.
Trying to gauge the "thymotic" desire among the candidates is hard, but the order seems to be: McCain, Giuliani, Romney and Thompson. By "thymotic" I mean the goal or objective (first discussed by Plato)to achieve recognition and fame. Plato believed this was a primary goal in life after meating the usual creature requirements. His concept included not only the goal but the means and we have no close term other than "recognition."
In this age of globalization and our long war against radical extremism, Mayor Giuliani is unusually credentialed to serve as president.
Yeah for the democratic party. He is way to liberal to win as a republican.
Spin, spin, spin. Interesting to see the Mayor Giuliani spin machine get all fired up in anticipation of Sen. Thompson’s candidacy.
Thank you YaYa123.
As the author said....”Giuliani’s camp is the fourth I’ve visited in the last year.”
“As far as former Senator Thompson he has many good personal qualities but recently he has had significant life changes. He has a new job—taking over from Paul Harvey on the radio. He has a new, young wife—and a four month old daughter. He has a three year history of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma—not altogether explained away and always a nagging concern. But I think his big problem is never mentioned—he approaches this contest with a hesitating attitude with no fire or reason to run.”
And what you’ve mentioned are without a doubt some of Sen. Thompson’s best qualities. The American public is sick in it’s heart of craven, opportunistic politicians who’s sole concern is clawing over everyone and everything to achieve power.
Good points.
I think Giuliani will wear the best over the long campaign.
No he isn't.
L
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.