Given that Fred Thompson's campaign is a dud, Rudy Giuliani has to be considered a marginal favorite for the Republican presidential nomination.

The main theme of Giuliani's day to day tactics is to establish that he's the ubermacho guy in the Republican sense of the word. That means that Giuliani is working to project an aura of dominating the space around him--meeting each issue with a studied show of aggresive "will," formulating every disagreement as an ideological confrontation, and refusing to bend to either friends or enemies. Giuliani's daily put-downs of Hillary Clinton--today Giuliani was after Hillary both for refusing to be pinned down on a position and being wrong about everything at the same time-- aren't just playing to the Republican base in terms of blasting their least-loved Democrat, it's about establishing domination over Hillary's political persona. The same is the case with Giuliani's threats to attack Iran, his attacks on European health care systems, and his defense of torture.

The point of all this manuevering isn't the right health policy or American national security. The point is to create a theater of daily aggression.

Of course, George Bush and Dick Cheney tried to accomplish the same thing, failed miserably, and paved the way for a Democratic victory in 2006. But Rudy is portraying himself as a more manly man the current administration. Where Bush was a failed oilman, Rudy Giuliani was a spectacularly successful prosecutor. Where Bush can't speak English without looking stupid, Rudy Giuliani is coherent and informed while talking on the fly. Where George Bush is studied in his ignorance, Rudy Giuliani reads magazines like City Journal in New York. Giuliani's spokesperson drove home the difference between Rudy and Bush in relation to Rudy's reading about health care issues.

The citation is an article in a highly respected intellectual journal written by an expert at a highly respected think tank which the mayor read because he is an intellectually engaged human being."

Even Bush's mother wouldn't say that about the president. In this sense, Rudy Giuliani is promising Republicans that he'll not only be the tough-talking macho kind of guy they want, but that he'll also be smart enough and competent enough to make conservatism work.

Of course, nobody's that smart.

ric:

I almost wish Publius, Neocon, or locdog would come out of the weeds and challenge this post. I just have to respond and I should have done so to the earlier one.

Giuliani is nothing more than a rich puppet hoping to capitalize off the weakness of Bush, who was never no Clinton in politics. He is little more than an alternative to the Mitts, Thompsons, and McCains none of whom can mount much of a challenge to Hillary, Obama, or Edwards.

In 2004, this board was ablaze with politics the same as in 2002.

I don't care if Rudy f**ks chickens, if he can beat the Dems then he is the best candidate for 2008.

Jack

You should be reassured then. He's scheduled a news conference today to announce that he's fallen in love with a particularly cute chick at one of the Purdue farms.

I thought Republicans were all about "values," especially "family values."

If you don't care if Giulani has a thing for fowl, how about if he as a boyfriend on the side?

What if his talk about no longer being so pro-abortion is all bullshit?

What if he really is pro-gun control after all?

Remember, he is the former mayor of the bluest city in the nation. Republicans don't get elected there unless they are at or slightly to the left of the line separating Repubs from Dems.

Your problem is that you have a morbid fear of Democrats, a largely irrational one at that. Aside from his balancing the budget, what was it that you so disliked about Bill Clinton? From what you have just said about Giulani, you obviously don't give a damn about Clinton's sex life.

1. Kicking sand niggers' asses to kingdom come.

2. Protecting Cheney's 'non-negotiable American way of life' against all comers--particularly the aforementioned sand niggers and treasonous Democrats who would compromise with them.

3. Protecting Israel at great cost in American lives and treasure so that Israel may kick the sand niggers' asses.

4. Keeping the American niggers down (read: Buckwheat Obracka).

5. Keeping uppity women down (read: Hillary).

6. Kicking out the Aztec niggers who clutter up my Dallas neighborhood.

I guess that's about it for now.

You sure use the N-word a lot, don't you Gene?

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Jack

To think like you think. Sure, you don't use the N-word. You're too smart for that. But we all know what you mean by "Buckwheat Obracka". Might as well call him "Watermelon".

You can take a Honkie outta the South, but you can't take the South outta the Honkie. Isn't that how it goes?