Some think Rudy walks on water - (a GOP Obama!). Some are comparing Rudy to McCain in 2000 - and feel that the right-wing base of the GOP will prove his undoing in '08 as it undid McCain in 2000; (today, McCain leads Rudy in SC). Some creatively compare him to Nixon.
MAYBE RUDY WILL REALLY BE MORE LIKE CHIRAC? Like Rudy; Chirac was a dynamic right-of-center mayor who turned around the city he loved. And then.... well, Chirac has been a disaster as France's president, and many members of his corrupt municipal machine have been indicted - and so will Chirac the day he leaves office and loses his immunity.
I have confidence that the campaign will sufficiently vet all the candidates - including Rudy, and that therefore if he has some skeletons in his closet that they will come out.
That is unless the right-wing blogosphere let's him off the hook, and if he gets a pass from the left-wing MSM because he is pro-choice and anti-gun.
DON'T GET ME WRONG: based on what I know today I could easily vote for Rudy. I just HOPE he is tested/vetted BEFORE he gets the nomination. I don't want him to become a Kerry-like candidate (who wins the nomination too easily and then proves to be a crappy candidate). And - were he to win the presidency - I wouldn't want him to become another like BJ Clinton - whose personal "issues" led this nation to suffer from 8 years of scandal.
[ASIDE: Who do you think would make the best Veep for Rudy - you know, balance the ticket?
I think that Ridge would help any GOP candidate take PA, and the GOP might easily lose OH in '08, and so they need to take PA. But like Rudy, Ridge is a NE Catholic who is pro-choice. This might make the GOP more vulnerable in the West and the South. Jeb could help Rudy win FL and in the South, but Jeb has a last name which MIGHT be a drag on the ticket. Mitt is another NE'er - granted, one with ties to the West. McCain might help out West, but nowhere else. Huckabee might help in the South, but nowhere else. Then there's Cornyn - a SOLID conservative who would help in the South and the SW. ANY SUGGESTIONS?]
I know there's a lot of Bush fatigue in the nation, but the best Veep candidate out there might just be Jeb Bush. Florida is still a vital state in the presidential race and with Jeb it would be in the bag. He's got good conservative credentials and from what I can tell, he's a good campaigner.
ReplyDeleteif iraq goes as well as it should then jeb could be named vp by anyone.
ReplyDeletei think fl is less troublesome than OH -which i think is guaranteed to go Dem, which measn they need a BIG PICK UP.
does rudy get NY?
maybe. maybe NOT against hillary.
that's why i like ridge.
i think kyl and cornyn and inhofe are GREAT.
what about newt?
Rudy and Newty?
I loooooooove Jeb Bush but think he should wait for another year to run as president himself.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Rudy should be tested thats why I haven't solidly backed him yet. But to be honest I don't think it will be an issue. I see a big fight coming between staunch social conservatives and others. Through it all Rudy will be more than tested. So if he survives he should have a pretty good chance.
What will be hard for me is I know people like Dobson and Perkins probably won't endorse him and it would be hard for me to part from them.
All of that said it will be an interesting 2 years seeing how this all pans out.
But I have to say that I was beyond encouraged seeing him on Hannity & Colmes last night and I was energized today thinking that we might have a candidate that we could be excited about.
And I have to say that comparing him to Chirac is just cruel :-)!!