1/27/2007

Giuliani In New Hampshire

It appears that the Republican presidential hopefuls are going in to full campaign mode, particularly here in New Hampshire.

The latest high profile candidate to make an appearance in the Granite State was former New York mayor Rudi Giuliani.

Appearing at the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, Giuliani talked about September 11th, the war against terror, and the standoff between President Bush and Congress about Iraq.

It was the images of the mayor traipsing through dust-caked Lower Manhattan and his strong reassurance to his city and country that was central to the visit. Giuliani also resisted openings to attack Democrats.

"I'm optimistic the Democratic Congress and President Bush will figure out how to do things together. It looks like on Iraq, we're not off to a good start. ... You can have a different view on Iraq and that doesn't make you better or worse than me."

On Iraq, Giuliani didn't delve too deeply into the unpopular war. In chatting with reporters, he tied it to the larger war on terrorism — and linked it to his time in New York City.

If anyone should understand the war against terror, it's Giuliani. After all it was his city that suffered the effects of an attack that rivaled that of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that ushered the US in to World War II. September 11th brought us into the war on terror in no less a fashion than the “Day of Infamy”.

Giuliani also commented about leadership by those who govern America.

He took, however, a bipartisan shot at politicians who govern according to poll results.

"That does not make them leaders. That makes them actors, not leaders," he said. "If I take a poll and figure out what you want me to say and then repeat it to you, I'm an actor, not a leader."

We in New England have a term for politicians like that: weather vanes. We also have another term for them: unemployed.

Giuliani also visited the New Hampshire GOP annual meeting, drumming up support for state Republicans as well as making contacts for his run in the 2008 New Hampshire Primary, even though at this point all he has is an exploratory committee and not an actual campaign.

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