Posted on 01/03/2007 8:52:27 AM PST by Spiff
BY BEN SMITH and DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Having your presidential playbook leaked to the press is bad enough.
But when Rudy Giuliani's aides tried to pin the leak on a thieving political rival, that just compounded the screwup, experts said yesterday, because the real blame belongs to the former mayor.
"Sometimes things do get lost by airline companies, but that's all the more reason not to carry around a hard copy," one veteran campaigner said. "Or if you are carrying around a hard copy, you need to handcuff the briefcase to your wrist."
Giuliani aides now allege that the 140-page tome was pilfered by an unnamed airport baggage handler, then photocopied by an alleged dirty campaign trickster.
The plan sets out a timeline that includes Giuliani's previously undisclosed goal of raising $100 million in 2007 and some of the big givers he hopes will back a White House bid.
[Note to self. Send articles like this and a note about what an awful gamble it would be now to donate to liberal Rudy to everyone on that list of big donors. -spiff]
The hefty target - and the fact that it has now been disclosed - had political experts snickering about the mammoth expectations Giuliani has suddenly set for himself.
"Now if he's not on track to raise $100 million by the end of the year, you can imagine what the headlines will be," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "It'll be, 'Rudy's Falling Short!'"
Aides to some of Giuliani's Republican primary rivals, meanwhile, could barely contain their glee at the raft of information first disclosed by the Daily News, which obtained a copy from a source sympathetic to a rival campaign.
John Weaver, a senior adviser to Sen. John McCain, said the Arizona Republican was "honored" that so many of the big givers identified in the Giuliani dossier had since signed on to McCain's exploratory bid. But he predicted the document would have little impact on the race.
"We have enough work implementing our plan without wasting time chuckling over things like that," Weaver told The News.
"Well, maybe time for one chuckle, but that's it."
Some of Giuliani's most avid supporters did their best to take the flub in stride, arguing that voters are more interested in issues and substance than the intricacies of campaign battle plans.
"There is no perfect campaign," said Barry Wynn, a former head of South Carolina's Republican Party and an early backer of Giuliani. "You are going to have three or four good days and one or two bad days every week, and it's how you get through it that matters to the public."
Howard Wolfson, a spokesman for Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton - another likely 2008 contender for the White House - declined to comment on Giuliani's latest headache.
Rudy crying isn't the threshold for a bad break.
Whatever! I see name calling is your specialty!
Well You have a point - it is a bad break but I think he'll survive. Maybe its good it happened now before he started campaigning.
Especially Rudy. LOL
ROFLMAO!! I've heard alot of crap in my life, but blaming communists for Reagan's divorce from Jane Wyman takes the cake!
It has become quite a fun game to watch and keep track of anonymous "freepers", on this forum, smear and defeat every Republican and Conservative in office, running, and thinking about running.
So, being a serial adulterer, in your opinion, is "being human"?!
I afford no candidate the "luxury" of being a liberal, serial adulter, gun grabbing, pro-abort, pro-gay agenda, fool. Republican or Democrat I will oppose a liberal candidate like that.
We will see how he does. I am supporting him for now, but that's mostly because the field is weak. I had the pleasure of voting for Rudy for mayor of nyc three times and e did a great job in nyc.
That being said, I wonder if his 'act' plays west of the Mississippi. Or west of the Hudson, for that matter.
Who is your guy? Do you know yet?
Our primary debates will be fantastic, since all the ideas and disagreements are on the Right.
That statement was so odd, I was willing to overlook it, thinking the poster had some very inside info. Probably from from one of those bomb shelter based websites ;)
my first (sic), btw
Well we'll see. I can only hope he does well. That's all we can do. I voted for him twice for mayor and if he runs he will get my vote in the primaries.
Right now, I'm looking favorably upon Duncan Hunter. Two years is a long time and a lot can change though. He's not perfect on conservative issues but at least he's in the same category. Unlike liberal Rudy who isn't even on the same planet as conservative given his big government history as NYC mayor, his support for gun grabbing, his support for the radical gay agenda, his disrespect for the institution of traditonal marriage and family, his support for abortion to include partial birth abortion, etc. We'll never find the perfect Republican conservative candidate, but from what I've seen Hunter is close enough. Giuliani is the Anti-Conservative.
That mattered so much when NYC was attacked on 9/11 that most people told him to go into hiding rather than be the face of courage to the maimed and the families of the dead.
"Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?"
"Down in the White House, ha, ha, ha!"
If Rudy is the best the R's can put up were are in a deep sack of shiite.
A ruthless SOB will be my main criterion this year, lol. Hunter looks very good, and very serious, Rudy seems tough but I have yet to hear his national positions, McCain has supported some sort of global warming crap, so he is out for me, Romney, I have yet to hear in a serious debate also.
Duncan Hunter has as much chance to be the next POTUS as George Allen.
It's gonna be Rudy...Romney...or McCaine.
Nobody associated with the Clintons would ever consider stealing documents. </sarc>
I finally sat down this morning and read the whole document - Ok - I may have skimmed over some of it.
My Reaction: BIG DEAL - no dirt, no surprises - nothing to it in my opinion.
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