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Colourful past threatens Giuliani's lead (dodged draft, marital weirdness)
The Daily Telegraph ^ | 16 February 2007 | Toby Harnden

Posted on 02/16/2007 1:58:44 PM PST by Spiff

Colourful past threatens Giuliani's lead

The Daily Telegraph
By Toby Harnden in Washington
Last Updated: 2:04am GMT 16/02/2007

Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, has become the clear frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination despite a personal life that his own staff once conceded opened him up to accusations of "weirdness".

A USA Today/Gallup poll gave Mr Giuliani a 16-point lead over his rival Senator John McCain and showed him trailing Hillary Clinton, the leading Democrat, by just a single percentage point.

But the extent of his task to persuade Americans he can lead them was underlined this week when a remarkable 450-page "vulnerability study", compiled by aides in 1993, emerged. His current advisers fear that his colourful past and his liberal social positions could scupper his candidacy.

The study listed all the former prosecutor's perceived weaknesses as part of a "tough and hard-hitting" assessment.

Mr Giuliani, who subsequently became a national hero as mayor of New York after the September 11 attacks, ordered all copies of the document to be destroyed. But it was obtained by a reporter working on a book about him and posted on the Smoking Gun website.

According to the document, chief among his problems as he sought re-election as mayor was that his "personal life raises questions about a "weirdness factor". This stemmed from a 14-year first marriage to his second cousin that was annulled by the Roman Catholic Church.

"When asked about his personal life, Giuliani gives a wide array of conflicting answers. All of this brings the soundness of his judgement into question - and the veracity of his answers."

Mr Giuliani, who has twice married subsequently, was also vulnerable to claims he avoided service in Vietnam by receiving "special treatment from a friendly federal judge" and later "hypocritically prosecuted draft dodgers".

In an interview with CNN's Larry King Live on Wednesday, Mr Giuliani conceded that there was lots of material with which the press and opponents could attack him. "The way I deal with that is, hey, I'm a human being," he said.

"You know, I made mistakes. I'm not perfect. I keep trying to learn from them. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. I keep working on that. I keep trying to learn from them. I'm a human being, much like, I think, everybody else."

Mr Giuliani confirmed that he was in favour of abortion rights and against gun control - litmus-test issues for many conservatives - but emphasised that he personally hated abortion.

He would also "select judges who try to interpret the Constitution rather than invent it" - a notable reassurance to conservatives who fear presidents who use judicial appointments to engage in what many see as liberal social engineering via the courts.

Whereas Democrats often reject a front runner during the party primaries, Republicans tend to coalesce around a leading candidate who they feel is electable by the broader populace. Mr Giuliani, 62, is vying to be that candidate in place of Mr McCain, 70, the early choice of the Republican establishment.

The document was the second to hand Mr Giuliani's White House rivals an arsenal of ammunition against him. Last month, a 140-page campaign battle plan setting out budgets, fundraising plans and details of possibly "insurmountable" problems with his candidacy was leaked to a New York tabloid.



TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2008; electionpresident; giuliani; rino; rudy
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Link to 1993 Campaign Vulnerability Study

Here's a few pages...










1 posted on 02/16/2007 1:58:47 PM PST by Spiff
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To: narses; Liz; jla; dmw; don-o; dirtboy; Reagan Man; EternalVigilance; Carry_Okie; NapkinUser; ...

(((STOP RUDY PING)))


2 posted on 02/16/2007 2:00:36 PM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Spiff
A USA Today/Gallup poll gave Mr Giuliani a 16-point lead over his rival Senator John McCain

It's a sad day for the Republican party when these two are the front runners.

3 posted on 02/16/2007 2:00:40 PM PST by Graybeard58 (Remember and pray for SSgt. Matt Maupin - MIA/POW- Iraq since 04/09/04)
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To: Spiff

Ouch!


4 posted on 02/16/2007 2:04:11 PM PST by Fierce Allegiance ("Campers laugh at clowns behind closed doors." GOHUNTER08!)
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To: Graybeard58
It's a sad day for the Republican party when these two are the front runners.

Don't worry, Mitt Romney's close behind, and unlike McCain and Rudy, he hasn't been a liberal for almost six months now.

5 posted on 02/16/2007 2:04:43 PM PST by Alter Kaker (Hard headed brainwashed trained monkey)
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To: Alter Kaker
Don't worry, Mitt Romney's close behind, and unlike McCain and Rudy, he hasn't been a liberal for almost six months now.

LOL!!!

6 posted on 02/16/2007 2:05:16 PM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Spiff
(((STOP RUDY PING)))

LOL... that picture of him in drag is gonna' be on every billboard in the nation.

7 posted on 02/16/2007 2:06:56 PM PST by johnny7 ("We took a hell of a beating." -'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell)
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To: Alter Kaker

sad but true. don't know whether to laugh or cry at the
Gelded Old Party.


8 posted on 02/16/2007 2:07:09 PM PST by Rakkasan1 ((Illegal immigrants are just undocumented friends you haven't met yet!))
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To: Spiff

Where's the pics of Rudy in drag?


9 posted on 02/16/2007 2:07:31 PM PST by meg88 (Run Newt, Run!)
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To: Graybeard58
The deferment system was inequitable and flawed. It was replaced by the lottery. But, anyone who got a legitimate deferment is not a "draft dodger" in my book. This is not what Bill Clinton did - lie to his ROTC commander. Rudy's boss asked his board to give him a deferment and they did.

That said, I'd have had more respect for Rudy if he'd completed ROTC, taken an Air Force commission and served his time.

10 posted on 02/16/2007 2:08:42 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: meg88

11 posted on 02/16/2007 2:09:01 PM PST by mewzilla (Property must be secured or liberty cannot exist. John Adams)
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To: Spiff

Good thread post. The more time that passes the more the details of Rudy Giulaini's life history will be exposed to the public. Rudy must never become the GOP nominee.


12 posted on 02/16/2007 2:11:08 PM PST by Reagan Man (Conservatives don't vote for liberals.)
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To: Alter Kaker

Duncan Hunter, I'm tellin' ya! So far no dirt, and solidly conservative on all issues.


13 posted on 02/16/2007 2:11:54 PM PST by jagusafr (The proof that we are rightly related to God is that we do our best whether we feel inspired or not")
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To: Spiff
How could the bar for weirdness get any lower after the Clinton Administration?
14 posted on 02/16/2007 2:12:01 PM PST by AprilfromTexas
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To: colorado tanker
The deferment system was inequitable and flawed. It was replaced by the lottery. But, anyone who got a legitimate deferment is not a "draft dodger" in my book. This is not what Bill Clinton did - lie to his ROTC commander. Rudy's boss asked his board to give him a deferment and they did.

Rudy received special treatment from the Judge that he worked for. Look at what's in his own campaign document. His defense was that he joined ROTC and then he developed an ear ache. The term draft dodger came from his own campaign document.

15 posted on 02/16/2007 2:12:36 PM PST by Spiff (Rudy Giuliani Quote (NY Post, 1996) "Most of Clinton's policies are very similar to most of mine.")
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To: Spiff

If you're gonna continue to SPAM, please have the courtesy to post in a format that doesn't take ten screens to page through.


16 posted on 02/16/2007 2:13:10 PM PST by nctexan ("w)
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To: mewzilla

17 posted on 02/16/2007 2:14:54 PM PST by meg88 (Run Newt, Run!)
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To: Spiff
The campaign document was a document intended to analyze how his opposition would use his past to attack him. Looks like it was an accurate forecast.

His boss could not issue a deferment, only his draft board could do that. I personally would not call a law clerk so essential an occupation as to justify a deferment, but apparently his draft board felt differently.

18 posted on 02/16/2007 2:15:54 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: dirtboy; Spiff
If this is true Rudy is out. The part about dodging the draft and prosecuting draft dodgers may ain't gonna fly among any constituency.
19 posted on 02/16/2007 2:16:09 PM PST by jwalsh07 (Duncan Hunter for President)
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To: Spiff

From your post I can assume that if Rudy is running versus Hillary you will either stay home or vote for Her!


20 posted on 02/16/2007 2:16:28 PM PST by rocksblues (Do unto others as they do unto you!)
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