[ellery]

No, he does not measure up. But then, who does? Reagan had a great [and potentially very dangerous] gift of charismatic leadership. Luckily for mankind, this gift is rare, for the likes of Reagan make maybe 5% of its possessors, while the likes of Hitler - at least 50%.

This is exactly why I oppose Giuliani. I believe he does have the gift of charismatic leadership. How many people support him even though he opposes most of their beliefs, doesn't actually have a great record on terrorism, etc.? He's obviously not Reagan or Hitler -- but his record shows clearly that he recognizes no lawful, Constitutional contraints on his actions when he's in power. That disregard, combined with charismatic leadership, makes him a very poor choice for the presidency.

[GSlob]

Charismatic leadership Rudy does not have. I saw it once with Reagan, first hand - and for a scholarly inclined observer it was like witnessing a volcanic eruption: fascinating, but dangerous. In '84 Ronald the Great came to Rochester NY for a campaign stop. The gathering was held at the local hockey stadium [War Memorial], 12-15 thousand people, a lot of security, and Reagan was projected onto a large screen. On the periphery of the crowd some protesters tried to unfurl some posters - and were spontaneously manhandled by the crowd [including middle-age women], and not by security. No command was given, it was absolutely spontaneous - organized things of this kind look differently, and I happened to observe it up close. This - the ability to inspire loyalty, even if misguided one - is the stuff charismatic leadership is made of. Mow, as for Rudy having it - spare me, please!