Adam Graham
Rudy riding his moment
By Adam Graham
Two reasons are commonly cited for backing Rudy Giuliani for President. The first is fighting the war on terror and the second is his ability to defeat Hillary Clinton.
Plenty of candidates can defeat Hillary Clinton without causing the ideological firefight a Giuliani candidacy would bring on the Republican Party, but the issue of the War deserves to be addressed.
Giuliani's view as most capable to prosecute the war hinges on his conduct on 9/11 and immediately afterwards. I've never been a huge fan of Rudy's, but his performance was nothing short of magnificent. His resolve and courage on that day was inspiring. He handled the disaster and it's aftermath with guts, grit, and grace.
The same could be said of many leaders. Do you remember the Congress standing together singing "God Bless America?" Who could forget President Bush at Ground Zero with the megaphone? Bush throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 was a moment that moved New Yorkers and Americans of every partisan stripe. His tough talking rhetoric and quick action into Afghanistan, led to job approval ratings that stood in the 80% range for 5-6 months. Rarely has any President had an era of such popularity.
What happened? When the grieving and the talking were over, Bush had to go and fight the war. In the process, we have killed or captured countless Al Qaeda operatives, but mistakes were made along the way and a price was paid from the battering of the opposition press.
Bush declined. Other politicians who in that moment enjoyed new-found respect for simply leading our country have all come falling back to Earth, but not Rudy. In 5 years, Rudy has not had to make a tough political decision, he has not had a scandal or a controversy as a result of fighting the War on Terror. In the minds of the American people, unlike Bush, our image of Rudy is frozen in time.
The problem becomes after he begins to campaign in his own right. He's no longer an untouchable superstar, but another politician seeking power. When Rudy went out campaigning for Republican Candidates the last few years, no one in the media would bring up his long-forgotten adulterous tryst while serving in Gracie Mansion and his subsequent remarriage without approval from the Catholic Church.
On the campaign trail, it'll become open territory. Of course, what will bring him down to Earth faster than anything else is Rudy himself. The gaffes will come and few people will be thinking of his September 11th performance.
When it's all said and done, what will be left standing before us is a liberal New York politician with just enough common sense to know terrorists who blow up our buildings are evil, but not enough to know that Partial Birth Abortion is wrong. We can and must do better. Rudy Giuliani's supporters are urging us to vote for the myth, but our country must live with the man.
© Adam Graham
Two reasons are commonly cited for backing Rudy Giuliani for President. The first is fighting the war on terror and the second is his ability to defeat Hillary Clinton.
Plenty of candidates can defeat Hillary Clinton without causing the ideological firefight a Giuliani candidacy would bring on the Republican Party, but the issue of the War deserves to be addressed.
Giuliani's view as most capable to prosecute the war hinges on his conduct on 9/11 and immediately afterwards. I've never been a huge fan of Rudy's, but his performance was nothing short of magnificent. His resolve and courage on that day was inspiring. He handled the disaster and it's aftermath with guts, grit, and grace.
The same could be said of many leaders. Do you remember the Congress standing together singing "God Bless America?" Who could forget President Bush at Ground Zero with the megaphone? Bush throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 was a moment that moved New Yorkers and Americans of every partisan stripe. His tough talking rhetoric and quick action into Afghanistan, led to job approval ratings that stood in the 80% range for 5-6 months. Rarely has any President had an era of such popularity.
What happened? When the grieving and the talking were over, Bush had to go and fight the war. In the process, we have killed or captured countless Al Qaeda operatives, but mistakes were made along the way and a price was paid from the battering of the opposition press.
Bush declined. Other politicians who in that moment enjoyed new-found respect for simply leading our country have all come falling back to Earth, but not Rudy. In 5 years, Rudy has not had to make a tough political decision, he has not had a scandal or a controversy as a result of fighting the War on Terror. In the minds of the American people, unlike Bush, our image of Rudy is frozen in time.
The problem becomes after he begins to campaign in his own right. He's no longer an untouchable superstar, but another politician seeking power. When Rudy went out campaigning for Republican Candidates the last few years, no one in the media would bring up his long-forgotten adulterous tryst while serving in Gracie Mansion and his subsequent remarriage without approval from the Catholic Church.
On the campaign trail, it'll become open territory. Of course, what will bring him down to Earth faster than anything else is Rudy himself. The gaffes will come and few people will be thinking of his September 11th performance.
When it's all said and done, what will be left standing before us is a liberal New York politician with just enough common sense to know terrorists who blow up our buildings are evil, but not enough to know that Partial Birth Abortion is wrong. We can and must do better. Rudy Giuliani's supporters are urging us to vote for the myth, but our country must live with the man.
© Adam Graham
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