Rudolph W. Giuliani: U.S. presidential election, 2008



Rudolph W. "Rudy" Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, announced February 14, 2007, on Larry King’s show on CNN that he was in the running to become the Republican 2008 presidential candidate.

Giuliani is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Giuliani Partners LLC, which he founded in January 2002.

Giuliani is also affiliated "with a well-established and politically connected law firm that is based in Houston and bears his name, Bracewell & Giuliani."

Marc Mukasey tasked with distancing Giuliani from Kerik
Marc Mukasey, Rudy Giuliani's law partner and the son of Attorney General nominee Michael B. Mukasey, "has been told to monitor the criminal probe of disgraced ex-NYPD boss Bernard Kerik, which threatens to muddy up the former mayor's bid to become president.

"As part of his sensitive assignment, Marc Mukasey has thwarted Kerik's lawyer from interviewing witnesses who might help his defense," the New York Post reported October 22, 2007.

Personal life

 * Jake Tapper, "Key Clinton Backer Rips Giuliani's Personal Life. Rep. Charles Rangel Apparently Refers to Giuliani as a 'Cheating Goddamn Husband'," ABC News, October 20, 2007.

Serial exaggerator
Steve Benen of The Carpetbagger Report has been keeping track of "some (not all) of Giuliani’s more obvious exaggerations, at least as they regard his own record."

"He can’t just say he spent time at Ground Zero; he has to exaggerate to say he spent as much time (if not more) than the rescue, recovery, and cleanup workers who spent a year sifting through human remains and rubble. He can’t just say he’s interested in counter-terrorism; he has to exaggerate to say he’s been 'studying Islamic terrorism for 30 years.' He can’t just say he’s committed to promoting adoption over abortion; he has to exaggerate his record as mayor. He can’t just say he cut taxes in NYC; he has to exaggerate his record to include tax cuts he opposed (he even counted one cut twice). When it comes to Giuliani’s record on budget surpluses, it’s more of the same. The guy can’t even release a list of congressional endorsements without exaggerating the numbers," Benen wrote.

Related external articles
 * Eugene Robinson, "Giuliani's Bogus Diagnosis," Washington Post, November 2, 2007.
 * Paul Krugman, Op-Ed: "Prostates and Prejudices," New York Times, November 2, 2007.

Campaign strategy: "I'm not Hillary"
Giuliani "made a simple case for his presidential candidacy [on September 29, 2007,] to a national convention of Republican women: He's not Hillary Clinton," the Associated Press reported.

Related external articles
 * John Aravosis, "Giuliani's strategy: 'I'm not Hillary'," AMERICAblog, September 30, 2007.

Speeches interrupted by (40+) phone calls
"During a recent appearance before the National Rifle Association, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani rudely interrupted his speech to take a brief call from his wife, Judith, on his cell phone. Apparently, this is not a new phenomenon for Giuliani. John Fund report[ed] [October 1, 2007,] that it might not be a mere coincidence: 'He has taken such calls more than 40 times in the middle of speeches, conferences and presentations to large donors.' Giuliani’s explanation for the calls? 9/11."

Ideal running mate
Standing next to Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour on September 4, 2007, Giuliani said that Barbour "will be at the top of everybody's list" for vice president as a running mate.

Enumerating some of the "lowlights" afterwards, Think Progress stated September 5, 2007, that "Selecting Barbour as a running mate would instantly bring the stain of corruption to any presidential ticket. A former chair of the Republican National Committee and a longtime uber-lobbyist, the Mississippi Governor has a record rife with corruption and cronyism that includes exploiting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to profit his allies."

Iraq Study Group vs. fundraising
"On May 18, 2006, one of four days the Iraq panel gathered that spring, Giuliani instead delivered a $100,000 speech on leadership in Atlanta. Then he attended a Buckhead fund-raiser for Ralph Reed, who was making a run for lieutenant governor in Georgia."

Related external articles
 * "Rudy Giuliani's So-Called 'Commitments' Based on Poor Mayoral Record and Empty Rhetoric," All American Patriots, June 16, 2007.
 * Craig Gordon, "Giuliani quit Iraq panel after missed meetings - but he had time for fundraising," Newsday, June 19, 2007.
 * Faiz Shakir, "Giuliani Prioritizes Fundraising Over Iraq Strategy," Think Progress, June 19, 2007.
 * Taylor Marsh, "Rudy's 9/11 Armor," The Huffington Post, June 19, 2007.
 * Craig Gordon, "Rudy 'didn't want to politicize' Iraq study," Newsday, June 20, 2007.
 * Marc Santora, "Giuliani Left Group on Iraq After Warning, Article Says," New York Times, June 20, 2007.
 * Kevin Drum, "Giuliani Followup," The Political Animal/CBS News, June 20, 2007.
 * "Giuliani Regrets Joining Iraq Study Group," Associated Press (Fox News), June 21, 2007.
 * Mark Memmott, "Giuliani: I shouldn't have joined Iraq Study Group," On Politics Blog/USA TODAY, June 21, 2007.
 * Fred Kaplan, "The Man Who Knows Too Little. What Rudy Giuliani's greedy decision to quit the Iraq Study Group reveals about his candidacy," Slate, June 21, 2007.
 * Michelle Cottle, "What business do Giuliani and Bloomberg have running for president? Gotham's Megalomaniacs," The New Republic, June 22, 2007.
 * Matt Corley, "Russert: ISG Commissioners Say Giuliani’s Excuse For Leaving Is Untrue," Think Progress, June 24, 2007.
 * "Giuliani: ‘Listen’ To Me On Iraq, Even Though I Quit The Iraq Study Group To Get Rich," Think Progress, September 14, 2007.
 * John Aravosis, "When Rudy Giuliani had the chance to do something about Iraq, he went AWOL," MoveOn.org ad posted on YouTube; AMERICAblog, September 17, 2007.
 * Matt Corley, "Giuliani Spins Reasons For Quitting The Iraq Study Group, Says ‘It Was A Mistake To Join’," Think Progress, September 19, 2007.

U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam

 * Amanda Terkel, "Giuliani Unaware That America Gradually Withdrew From Vietnam," Think Progress, July 6, 2007.

"Tough on crime" candidate?
In 1985, when Mukasey was U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Giuliani "was coming under intense criticism for his aggressive tactics in prosecuting organized crime, including his use of mass trials, his habit of holding defendants without bail and his practice of subpoenaing defense lawyers to testify at their clients' grand jury hearings, which lawyers argued was a violation of client confidentiality.

"Springing to Giuliani's defense was a former colleague, Michael B. Mukasey, who argued in a strongly worded opinion piece that Giuliani's tough tactics were justified to defeat an enemy that, he said, was far more dangerous and powerful than Giuliani's critics were willing to acknowledge," Alec MacGillis reported September 18, 2007, in the Washington Post.

Related external articles
 * John Solomon and Matthew Mosk, "Ex-Partner Of Giuliani May Face Charges. Kerik Counts Said To Include Deception During Cabinet Bid," Washington Post, March 31, 2007. re Bernard Kerik
 * John Solomon and Peter Baker, "White House Looked Past Alarms on Kerik. Giuliani, Gonzales Pushed DHS Bid Forward," Washington Post, April 8, 2007.
 * John Solomon and Peter Baker, "How White House tripped badly over Giuliani's pal," Washington Post (Seattle Times), April 10, 2007.
 * watertiger, "You are the company you keep," Firedoglake Blog, May 24, 2007.
 * David von Drehle, "Will Rudy's Get-Tough Image Backfire?" TIME Magazine, June 20, 2007.
 * "Team Giuliani," The Kenosha Kid's Blog, June 21, 2007.
 * Alex Koppelman and Joe Strupp, "Giuliani's loyalty to an accused priest. A grand jury accused Alan Placa of molestation and his diocese has suspended him, but the presidential candidate continues to employ his lifelong best friend as a consultant," Salon, June 23, 2007.
 * Matt Corley, "Giuliani Sacrifices Principles On Executive Clemency; Contradicts Past Statements," Think Progress, July 5, 2007.

Cultural diversity

 * "South Carolina Senator Asked To Apologize For Slur Against NAACP - Arthur Ravenel," Jet (FindArticles.com), January 31, 2000. re Arthur Ravenel, Jr.
 * Perry Bacon Jr., "Giuliani's Ties to Black New York Troubled. GOP Front-Runner's Handling of Crime and Relations With Leaders Questioned," Washington Post, July 9, 2007.

free speech issues

 * Tony Mauro, "As NYC mayor, Giuliani chose order over free speech," First Amendment Center, July 11, 2007.

Military service

 * Geoffrey Gray, "Rudy and 'Nam. He's no war hero. Will it matter?" New York Magazine, April 23, 2007 (issue).

Criticizes MoveOn, asks for "same rate" from NYT
Giuliani said that he is asking the New York Times for the “same heavily discounted rate they gave MoveOn.org” for his campaign to run an ad in Friday’s paper. MoveOn argued in its ad that Gen. David Petraeus is cherry-picking facts that support his recommendation to keep a large number of troops in Iraq for some time. Giuliani said his ad will take the opposite view. He also said that he agrees with Petraeus’s assessment of the Iraq war and called MoveOn.org’s ad offensive to the general.

General

 * Compare where Rudy Giuliani stands to other 2008 presidential candidates - whereIstand.com.
 * Media Mouse, "Giuliani Addresses Crime, Terrorism, and Immigration at Grand Rapids Campaign Stop," Mediamouse.org, June 8, 2007.

War on terrorism

 * Faiz Shakir, "Giuliani Confused About Terrorism, Cites Ft. Dix Plot As Reason For Staying In Iraq," Think Progress, May 16, 2007.
 * Alex Koppelman, "Rudy amid the evangelicals. 'America's mayor' stays resolute on terrorism and the war -- but don't even ask him about the A-word," Salon, June 27, 2007.
 * Matthew Hay Brown, "Giuliani talks tough on terrorism. Democrats fail to grasp threat, he says in Rockville," Baltimore Sun, June 27, 2007.
 * Bob Lewis, "Giuliani slams Bill Clinton on terrorism," Associated Press (Boston Globe), June 27, 2007.

Terrorism & torture

 * Rosa Brooks, "The GOP’s Torture Enthusiasts. This Week’s Republican Debate Was a Jack Bauer Impersonation Contest," Los Angeles Times (Common Dreams), May 18, 2007.

War in Iraq

 * Helen Kennedy, "Prez hopefuls join together - to hurl mud. Giuliani vs. Hil, then Bam vs. McCain as left & right get downright nasty," New York Daily News, May 26, 2007.
 * Peter S. Canellos, "GOP rivals embrace unproven Iraq-9/11 tie," Boston Globe, May 27, 2007.

troop surge in Iraq
Giuliani, Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, "characterized" July 10, 2007, by the Los Angeles Times as "'the three leading Republican presidential contenders' in a clear slight of 'former front-runner' John McCain – are quietly backing away from any promise to continue the buildup.

"All three candidates 'have made it clear that their original support for the escalation does not mean they are signed on to keeping the current 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.'"

Campaign plan revealed
The New York Daily News reported that a 140-page plan developed last fall for a Giuliani presidential bid would aim to raise $100 million in 2007 with "at least $25 million in the next three months alone." The document was provided to the News by someone with one of the rival campaign teams. The document, the paper reports, reveal "that Giuliani began meeting with potential supporters last April and that by October, his staff had put in place a detailed plan for a serious bid for the presidency." However, the document also flagged that Giuliani may "drop out of [the] race" due to "insurmountable" personal and political vulnerabilities. "On the same page is a list of the candidate's central problems in bullet-point form: his private sector business; disgraced former aide Bernard Kerik; his third wife, Judith Nathan Giuliani; "social issues," on which is he is more liberal than most Republicans, and his former wife Donna Hanover," the paper reports.

In the document, the campaign plan flagged recruiting Republican fundraiser Cathy Blaney from New York "on a retainer of $260,000" and Florida-based Ann Herberger at a cost of $216,000. However, both went on to other jobs with Herberger "reportedly has signed on to the presidential campaign of Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney."

Also see "'Daily News' Gets Rudy's Prez Plans Left Behind in Hotel," Editor & Publisher, January 2, 2007.

Declaration to enter the 2008 election
On February 14, 2007, Giuliani declared, “Yes, I’m running,” on Larry King’s show on CNN.

In preparation for his presidential bid, Giuliani’s campaign stated that he will stop accepting invitations to give paid speeches. It has been reported that the former New York City Mayor has received $100,000 for each appearance. "His top priority is traveling around the country talking to voters about his vision for the future of the country, and he is committing the time and energy necessary to getting his message out across the country," said Katie Levinson, a campaign spokeswoman.

On the campaign trail

 * Greg Sargent, "Rudy's New Minnesota Campaign Official Has An 'N-Word' Problem," TPM Election Central, October 19, 2007.
 * Steve Benen, "Judging Giuliani by the company he keeps," The Carpetbagger Report, October 20, 2007.

Website: Solutions America
The SOLUTIONSAMERICA.ORG domain was registered May 11, 2006 (updated June 12, 2006), to Ryan Medrano, who is also the administrator (email aitsg1 AT gmail.com). The registrant organization is Solutions America, 575 Eighth Ave, 24th Floor, New York, NY 10018, Phone 703 519-2810.

The SOLUTIONSAMERICA.COM domain was registered June 13, 2006, to Solutions America at the same address and phone number. The administrative/technical contact at Solutions America is whitney.mcbee AT gmail.com, same address and phone number.

Endorsements

 * Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.)
 * Texas Gov. Rick Perry


 * Also see Chris Smith, "Rudy’s Rove Connection Hits the Road. Staffer Margaret Hoover sucks it up," New York Magazine, April 9, 2007.

Ad campaigns

 * MoveOn.org, "New TV Ad: Giuliani on Iraq: A Betrayal of Trust," PRNewswire-USNewswire, September 17, 2007.
 * Ed O'Keefe, "MoveOn: Rudy Betrayed Us Too," Channel '08 Blog/Washington Post, September 17, 2007.
 * Katharine Q. Seelye, "Ad Watch: ‘Giuliani AWOL’," The Caucus Blog/New York Times, September 17, 2007.
 * "Giuliani Hits MoveOn, MoveOn Whacks Back," Channel '08 Blog/Washington Post, September 18, 2007.
 * Mike Allen, "Rudy says he's liberals' 'worst nightmare'," The Politico, September 18, 2007.
 * David Brody, "Rudy Giuliani's 'Nightmare'," Christian Broadcasting Network, September 18, 2007.
 * "Giuliani-MoveOn.org Duke It Out in Ad War," Political Ticker Blog/CNN, September 19, 2007.
 * David Brody, "A Closer Look at Giuliani's Moveon.org Strategy," Christian Broadcasting Network, September 19, 2007.
 * Sam Youngman, "Rudy claims bump from MoveOn ad," The Hill, September 19, 2007.
 * "Reporting on Giuliani ad attacking Clinton, media don't note he blamed troops for missing weapons," Media Matters for America, September 19, 2007.

Anti-Giuliani campaigns

 * "He’s No Ronald Reagan. Why Conservatives Should Not Vote For Rudy Giuliani," 30-page brochure produced by Citizens United Political Victory Fund, May 14, 2007.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bernard Kerik