Posted on 03/29/2007 6:41:40 AM PDT by areafiftyone
They held out things for him to sign: Political fliers. Books. A baseball. Yankees hats. NYPD hats. FDNY hats. A girl's crayon drawing of an American flag on looseleaf paper. One woman even held out her checkbook.
They told him they loved him and wanted to vote for him and couldn't wait to see him in the White House.
They snapped him with their digital cameras and camera phones, shoving their children into the frame.
Moving through the aisles of the store on West Charleston Boulevard, Giuliani alternated a mock-serious survey of store shelves with posing for pictures, his rabbity, dimpled smile frozen in place.
From the $10 Value DVD rack, Giuliani selected "Remember the Titans," then waded in for more photo ops.
He stocked up on deodorant and Zone nutrition bars, batteries and lotion.
He picked up a book by Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel, whose last name, properly pronounced "vee-ZELL," he pronounced "WISE-ull."
A young woman stopped Giuliani to tell him she'd just moved to Las Vegas from New York, where she was on the 73rd floor of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
"My brother was there too," 27-year-old Jill Moran told Giuliani. "We both got out."
Moran articulated the reason everyone remembers Giuliani, the reason everyone seems to love him.
"He changed our lives," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "He's the reason we went back to the city. He's the reason we went back to work."
Giuliani makes it clear he's hoping to parlay his post-9/11 leadership into the presidency.
Asked in an interview what Nevada voters want, he said, "I think they're looking for the same thing people in New York are looking for, or Texas, or South Carolina, or Iowa or New Hampshire. They're looking for a leader. They're looking for somebody who can give the country direction, focus, at a time in which we're at war."
Those aren't necessarily qualities the current leadership lacks, Giuliani said.
"I think President Bush as president has really remained very, very focused on dealing with these terrorists and kept us on offense. But I think that's something that will be continually even more important as this moves along. Iraq is only one part of this whole terrorist war against us, and I think we've got to understand that we have to be on offense, and I think the American people are going to want a strong leader who can handle terrorism, and I think I probably have the most experience doing that."
That experience isn't limited to the legendary few months after 9/11, when Giuliani was credited with holding New York together in the wake of historic trauma, but comes from his long service as a federal prosecutor, Giuliani said.
"I handled all kinds of criminal cases, including terrorism," he said. "I investigated (former Palestinian leader) Yasser Arafat before anybody knew who he really was. I dealt with Nazi war criminals and had them sent back to be held to account for the crimes, acts against humanity. I've got a very, very long history of dealing with severe criminality and terrorism."
Giuliani was in Las Vegas just before the November election, stumping for Gov. Jim Gibbons. On Wednesday, Giuliani said he loves to play golf here, and that Las Vegas reminds him of New York City, from the tourists on the Strip to the 24-hour rhythm.
Giuliani said he was aware of the safety concerns with the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain and "somebody would have to take a good look at that."
When pressed, he did not rule out the repository, however.
"One of the things you've got to be real careful about with nuclear power is you've got to make sure it's really, really safe," he said. "Frankly, some of the problems that have occurred with Yucca Mountain are matters of grave concern, so you'd have to take a good look at that."
Those concerns should not kill the nuclear power industry, he said.
"We're going to have to find a way to expand nuclear power, because it's one of the ways in which we can give ourselves (energy) independence and also not have it impact on the environment, on pollution, global warming, the things that concern people," he said.
In polls, both nationally and in Nevada, Giuliani has a strong and steady lead among Republican voters in these very early days, long before the 2008 election. And yet the conventional wisdom in political circles is that he can't win the Republican nomination.
Is it just a stereotype to assume that Republican stalwarts won't support a thrice-married Italian-American with a brusque New York accent?
Or are the pundits right when they say all that adulation will fade when people get to know the Giuliani who is no right-winger when it comes to abortion, gun control, immigration and homosexuality?
Asked how he planned to get through the primary, Giuliani shrugged.
"Right now we're ahead," he said, laughing. "So we'll see if it stays that way."
You have been throwing this "free" thing around for days. I believe you need help. Find yourself a good Liberal deprogammer.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT.
Not only am I NOT supporting RINO-rudy, I am ACTIVELY campaigning against the LIBERAL bastard.
Maybe Thompson is more to your liking?
YES.
Hopefully, Thompson, or someone else of his TRUE CONSERVATIVE reputation and stature will run and not only annihilate any and all liberal RINOs, but also whatever demonRAT wins their nomination.
Just as you are free to make nonsensical points and have been for months. I am free to make points that you don't like, over and over. Isn't freedom great.
As I say, you are free to support whoever you like. As are the rest of us. Isn't that great(s).
I hope that you can enjoy working for Thompson.
GET some help. Okay?
Isn't freedom a wonderful thing!
Does that matter? Who was the last man to become President whose biggest job was Mayor of a large city?
People like you are going to bring FR down. Someone needs to talk to you about your inane posting.
Don't post to me with senseless dribble.
You need to cut it out. People are going to challenge your candidate. If you cannot handle it. Go knit booties.
Fred is more conservative and has less baggage and therefore is more electable. Isn't that all that matters?
Mayor of NYC is a much bigger job than governor of a lot of states. Yeah it matters. When was the last time a senator was elected president? Executive ability and experience matters to many people.
You are free to like or dislike my posts just as others are free to like or dislike your posts. We are all free to support whoever we want. Isn't that a wonderful thing.
Isn't all the hype about Fred coming from Howard Baker and Trent Lott?
Do you have a point? (except for the one on top of your head?)
Read post # 132. Get it?
I'll tell you what... compare Rudy's record as Mayor to Fred's leadership role in Senate Committees, see who is a conservative and who is a liberal, and get back to me. On second thought. Don't bother. I already know the answer.
I think that would be an unbeatable ticket. I can't imagine Rudy as anyone's VP. It would have to be the other way around, but it would be fantastic.
You are not forced to click on any threads you don't want to. If you choose to click on a thread - then you are doing so freely.
Rudy is NOT a social conservative. He is a fiscal conservative. Hunter is a social conservative but not a fiscal conservative. What that means to me is that there are choices. Hopefully you can find someone that you support and can get excited about.
You are free to support whoever you like. And so am I.
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