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."
That Times Square graphic on your FR profile page is neat too. :)
thanks
No. I do not vote for liberals.
If you listen to the announcer at the end of the radio ads Rudy runs on the Rush Limbaugh show that begin with Rudy saying plain as day "I'm running for President," you hear that they are paid for by his "exploratory committee."
and what exactly do you think Thompson has going for him - if we disqualify "celebrity" as part of a political image? not much, he didn't even serve two full terms in the senate, and everyone here things he's "presidential material".
if not for his celebrity as an actor, Thompson wouldn't be in this race either. you want to disqualify Rudy as a "celebrity", but not Thompson.
Fred is my man but I have to say I don't think he'll run, that only leaves Rudy and he'll get my vote reluctantly...
"Just wait, A51, until Fred declares. Then ol' Rudy's gonna be begging Fred for a cabinet post. ;-)"
I much prefer Rudy, but would not hesitate for a NY minute to give Fred my post-convention support.
Actually, I think they make a dream ticket - no matter who's on top. But I don't think Rudy would accept the VP role, do you? What about Fred, would he?
Personally if he runs it will be a race that is more exciting but I personally doubt he will run too. He doesn't seem too enthusiastic about it.
I'll alert the media.
big deal. Thompson has zero executive experience.
I'm OK with acknowledging that "celebrity" is part of Rudy's political persona. Just don't tell me its not also equally true for Thompson. If he weren't a popular character actor, he wouldn't be under consideration.
And now I see why the hysterical meltdown has started so early on some of the other threads :-)
Rudy-Fred would be a great ticket.
Rudy-Fred would indeed be a great ticket.
"Beg me to run" - perfect. Just what he seems to be doing. I could be wrong, but right now it don't look that way.
Very nice picture. Thank you.
As skeptical as I am about Rudy's conservative bonafides, I think that's unfair. Giuliani was Time Person of the Year for 2001 (although it should have been bin Laden), and any high-profile pol gets attention when he lets his guard down in order to interact with the public. Rudy has double the status of Idol contestants, and has for years. Anybody thought about Justin Guarini lately?
Man, if not for the NY Times, would there be a MSM outlet that didn't favor Rudy over all candidates?
If not Rudy, who? You've gotta remember, the Gotham crowd knows Rudy like the back of their hands, and Hillary too, after 15 years of being First Doormat and then half-hearted Senator. Their dream would be for the Free World to depend on an epic battle between two New York heavyweights.
Personally, I worry that Rudy is following R-nold Arnol(D) Schwarzenegger's lead, and is playing conservative at strategic points until he gets the job, when he'll rip off the mask to reveal that he's Conan the Compromiser. I'm waiting for more about Thompson. He sounds like a natural communicator, unlike GWB, who sounds like he was asked not to return to Toastmasters. However, it's hard for me to imagine that a guy that deeply ensconced in showbiz doesn't have at least one secret that would make Newt blush.
Some people just find it too hard to accept that regardless people really do like Rudy.
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