I know Giuliani is tough when it comes to crime fighting- his experience against the mob would be a big help in the War on Terrorism. The differences I meant were social policy issues. Ashcroft is staunchly pro-life and pro-traditional marriage. Giuliani is the opposite. Would Giuliani attempt to enforce the partial birth abortion ban (if the courts let him)?
Lawyers switching sides when they are appointed to a government position is normal. I listened to a criminal law lecture by an LA judge who had been, as a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, the county's chief anti-gang prosecutor. He gave lectures to police and sheriffs on how to write search warrant applications using weasel words so as to get a judge to sign them when the real truth would have caused the judge to limit the warrants' scope. His first job after being appointed a judge was to review all the search warrants submitted for most of LA. By cops who had attended his lectures. The presiding judge knew exactly what was going when he made that appointment. He knew this newly appointed judge would see through all the dodges he had taught.
So Rudy would be a dynamite federal AG, but I'd prefer that he replace Rehnquist as Chief Justice, and agree with others that Rudy would be better as Homeland Security secretary than AG. Rudy's adminstrative skills are much more needed at Homeland Security than in the Justice Department.