[You Dirty Rats]

But Tokyo is not an American city, and Peru is not the United States . . . and nor, quite frankly, is New York City.

This attitude is a good part of the reason why the anti-Rudy contingent finds themselves on the losing side this time and can't understand why. You clearly haven't got the slightest idea what the Statue of Liberty is all about.

[dirtboy]

You clearly haven't got the slightest idea what the Statue of Liberty is all about.

It is about welcoming AND assimilation into the melting pot. Not having your door kicked down and having large populations that are not even trying to assimilate.

[ruination]

You clearly haven't got the slightest idea what the Statue of Liberty is all about.

The Statue of Liberty was an 1886 gift from the French. According to the National Park Service, it was given "in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution" and "to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence." Is that inaccurate?

[joylyn]

I completely agree with this post. Those of you who find New York City too foreign can't reach out to voters in any blue urban areas -- and these areas keep growing across the country. Maybe red staters have more children, but these children go off to college, move to blue urban areas and develp bluish perspectives. Hence, if you can't even envision working or communicatine with such people, you're not going to win them over. And you're going to have a hard go winning any national offices in 2008 or beyond.

By the way, I don't know anyone in New York who thought Rudy was "weird." Many here saw him as ultra right wing, which makes the diatribes here rather amusing.

My other problem with this post is that I don't choose a candidate based on a laundry list of his positions on the issues. Maybe this makes sense when voting for the legislature, but hardly for president! Someone please tell me what executive experience Duncan Hunter has. (This is a sincere question, not a rhetorical one.)

[GeorgefromGeorgia]

I have posted a lengthy background on Rudy's accomplishments and earlier positions several times on FR, and started to do so again, but that would be like talking past the anti-Rudy people. I cannot disagree with several of your points. We are both conservatives, but I am of the libertarian stripe, and don't have a problem with Rudy's positions on many of the issues articulated by this post. What I fail to see with many of the anti-Rudy comments is a more objective view of Rudy's accomplishments and positions. First, he has a good record cutting taxes and fiscal conservatism. Second, he has a good record regarding national security (I will address the immigration issue separately, while it does bear on security). Third, Rudy was elected in a very liberal city, and while having some liberal positions, I contend that some consideration must be given for the timing of some of the statements made by Rudy. In some cases, these statements were made 15-20 years ago. You need to consider the context in which those statements were made. Go back and look at statements made by Ronald Reagan in his life. You will find some that do not aling with how his Presidential policies.

Finally, Rudy's position on immigration and the 2nd Amendment are my main concerns in terms of my philosophy. As far as the 2nd Amendment, Rudy had made statements that indicate to me that he will not try to implement the kind of gun control that would concern me. I was against the Brady Bill, but frankly, Brady was not a big deal. Going beyond Brady would be. As for immigration, I will concede that Rudy would not be as aggressive as someone like Duncan Hunter. For that matter, I like Hunter and could support him. I will wait and see how the campaign moves. I like a Rudy/Hunter ticket. I have watched politics in the USA since Goldwater lost to LBJ. I have been disappointed more than you know. Even Ronald Reagan wasn't perfect. George W less so, but both have my support, since I realize that there is no perfect candidate. Rudy may not be a candidate for all conservatives, but if he wins the nomination, I sincerely hope conservative weight the results of the election of either Hildebeast, Obama or Edwards.

[Mr. Silverback]

You clearly haven't got the slightest idea what the Statue of Liberty is all about.

The Statue of Liberty is about breaking the law?

The Statue of Liberty is about hospitals closing because of the burden of free medical care for illegals?

The Statue of Liberty is about meatpacker wages going from $19 per hour to $10 per hour in 25 years?

The Statue of Liberty is about using false Social Security numbers?

The Statue of Liberty is about penalizing businesses that follow the law?

The Statue of Liberty is about protecting Mexican fatcats?

The Statue of Liberty is about people coming into our country and refusing to assimilate?

The Statue of Liberty is about "Press 1 for English" and Mexican flags flying over our schools?

Let me tell you what the The Statue of Liberty is about, sparky. She's about Hyman Rickover.

You see, Hyman Rickover was born in 1900 in Poland and came to the U.S. with his parents in 1905. In 1918 he was the valedictorian at his high school and gave a commencement speech (in ENGLISH) that was well-regarded. He graduated from the Naval Academy in '22 as an engineer. After a engineering postings in the destroyer USS La Vallette (including, IIRC, chief engineer) and the battleship USS Nevada. Then he went to Columbia and got his masters (I suspect he wrote his papers for this degree in ENGLISH) and went on to spend four years in submarines, where he qualified for command. Insiders report he realized he was serving in the United States Navy, and that he communicated with the crew in ENGLISH, rather than Polish.

Further down the road, after WWII, Rickover was the father of the nuclear submarine and the architect of the Navy's entire nuclear program. He served as the head of nuclear reactors until retirement in 1982. Yes, that's right, he served as naval officer until he was 82 years old when he could have retired on a Vice Admiral's pension thirty years or more earlier. How's that for dedication to one's country.

Hyman G. Rickover was a kid who came through Ellis Island, and became a Chicagoan, an officer in the United States Navy, a respected engineer and one of the most powerful military men in our history. He was an American, not a Pole living in America, and he is what the Statue of Liberty is all about. Not amnesty, not welfare handouts, not broken schools, but assimilation, hard work, and dedication to American ideals.

If you think any activity involving a coyote and stolen SSN's has anything to do with the Staute of Liberty or any form of "welcoming," you are sadly mistaken.