Giuliani Critique Leaked

Howard Kurtz writes about an internal report assessing Rudy Giuliani's weak points during his 1993 mayoral campaign:

In an echo of Giuliani's current quandary -- that his support for abortion and gay rights may alienate many conservative voters -- the 1993 memo declared: "He doesn't really fit in with the Republicans. Too liberal." Giuliani's aides were also concerned that, as a former Democrat, he would be painted as a flip-flopper, and that his tenure as an official in Ronald Reagan's Justice Department was an albatross for a liberal city. "There is not a minute to waste in inoculating against the Reagan Republican moniker," the memo said, adding that the candidate should emphasize his "independence from traditional national Republican policies."

Giuliani was deemed "vulnerable to charges of insensitivity toward racial minorities," the memo said, in urging him to soften his image. "Rudy Giuliani can -- and should -- be redefined for all voters, but especially minority voters." Giuliani had strained relations with black leaders and communities during his two terms as mayor.

Some will use this as fodder against Rudy, but I feel that any candidate worth his or her salt should look very closely at their negatives. Rudy is a conservative on some issues and on others he's not. George Bush is not a conservative in the Reagan mold and he won twice.

Giuliani has the one thing going for him that others don't, on 9/11/01, the entire nation saw him handle an untenable situation with resolve and they also saw him make clear, concise decisions under unprecedented pressure. That, taken into account with his record of cleaning up NYC will make this silly memo a non-issue.

Captain Ed has more thoughts.