Giuliani Can Win

My husband, a former Marine, recently made an announcement in his most forceful tone: "I'll never vote for Giuliani for president even if he's running against Hillary Clinton."

Of course, he never voted for Mr. Giuliani in the mayoral elections (I did, twice). My husband does concede that if Mr. Giuliani were now running for mayor, he would pull that lever because he wouldn't be afraid the candidate could affect national policy on social issues. It's voters such as my spouse that Mr. Giuliani will have to convince to win the Republican nomination.

Personally, I think it's too early for a coronation, so I'll wait until I've heard everyone's position on what I regard as the urgent issues. From what I've been hearing lately, however, the idea that Mr. Giuliani simply can't win the GOP crown is fading fast. Perhaps that's because the former New York mayor is going all out to convince the Republican base that he's not as liberal as believed.

He's pro-choice, pro-gun control, pro-gay union, and yet he's not the kind of liberal we're supposed to shun. How is that possible? Diehard conservatives like my husband regard Giuliani as a typical RINO (Republican in name only), and as long as he supports the liberal agenda they're not likely to support his candidacy.

On the other hand, many Republicans were sharply affected by last November's disastrous election and have become more pragmatic about their priorities. Mr. Giuliani, while adhering to his positions, insists he is a strict constitutionalist and will appoint judges who are the same.

If that's the case, what about gun control? During a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., last week, Mr. Giuliani said his tough stance on guns helped bring down crime while he was mayor. He insisted that we have the right to bear arms and that what he did as mayor would not affect hunting. The Second Amendment, however, is not about hunting: It's about ordinary citizens defending themselves.

In the opening scenes of the film "Blood Diamond," villagers in Sierra Leone are suddenly attacked by truckloads of armed rebels, many of whom are just boys. They kidnap the able-bodied boys and men, chop off the hands of others, and kill mercilessly. They can do this because the villagers are for the most part unarmed and unable to defend themselves. This helps to illustrate the case for our Second Amendment: As long as guns are still being manufactured, criminals will get their hands on them.

The trouble with most gun control laws is that they disarm only the law abiders. Criminals break laws. Crime didn't go down in New York City because of gun control but because the NYPD cracked down on quality-of-life crimes, netting the run of the mill criminal type.

While gun control is just one of the hot-button issues that may present a problem for Mr. Giuliani during the Republican primary campaign, there is an overriding issue that might make this and other social issues moot — the war on terror.

I briefly met Mr. Giuliani in 2004 at a Harvard Club luncheon honoring the posthumous publication of William E. Simon's autobiography. His speech made everyone in the room cheer, and perhaps inspired some of the conservatives present to look at Mr. Giuliani as a possible 2008 candidate. Recalling the events of September 11, 2001, Mr. Giuliani said his first thought was a sense of amazement that he was asking the White House for air support to defend New York City. The second thought he had was, "Thank God George Bush is the president of the United States."

He then suggested correctly that if Vice President Gore were president, he probably would have followed the Clinton strategy of a symbolic response, then a retreat. Mr. Bush on the other hand was "determined, focused, and offered a clear vision of what he intended to do." That, Mr. Giuliani said, is the importance of leadership.

He recently reiterated his admiration for President Bush, and if there are some who think he's just posturing to seduce the base, I can attest that his appreciation is sincere and predates his presidential ambitions.

If anyone can truly appreciate the price of terror on our soil, it is Rudy Giuliani, and it is refreshing that he hasn't backed away from Mr. Bush as so many of his fellow Republicans did last November. That was disgraceful, and I'm glad these fairweather "friends" are out of office.

It's way too early to predict what will happen next year, but Mr. Giuliani is a definite contender.