Giuliani 'fast-forwards' to fall of '08: Tackling Clinton

by Mark Silva

Rudy Giuliani has read the polls.

He's running like he's running against Hillary Clinton.

Stewart Powell of Hearst Newspapers reports that the former New York Mayor, front-runner in the national polling for the Republican Party's presidential nomination, already is casting his campaign as a contest with the Democratic senator from New York and former first lady.

"Republican Rudolph Giuliani is fast-forwarding his presidential campaign to target Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton as though the calendar says it's October 2008 and he's battling the New York senator for the presidency,'' Powell reports.

"Giuliani's approach highlights his front-runner status in the 10-man Republican field, focuses voters' attention on his claims of "electability" and positions his campaign above such divisive GOP issues as abortion, gay rights and gun control in the early contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida.

"Giuliani's latest attack on the campaign trail accuses Clinton of "ambiguity" about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program because she has refused to endorse a hypothetical Israeli raid on any suspected Iranian nuclear site.

"Giuliani, vowing to prevent Iran from ever obtaining nuclear weapons, likened Clinton's position to "another era of indecision" when defeated Democratic President Jimmy Carter tolerated Iran's seizure of U.S. hostages in 1979.

"Giuliani also contends that Clinton's domestic proposal to provide every newborn a $5,000 savings bond is drawn from defeated 1972 Democratic presidential candidate George McGovern who lost 49 states to President Richard Nixon.

"To call attention to his credentials to take on Hillary, Rudy is attacking her night and day," Dick Morris, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton in 1996 and a frequent critic of Sen. Clinton, observes in his latest column for FoxNews.com. "He is all over her case. And each time he hits her, he reminds us why we want him around in November to stop her from marching to the White House."

"Giuliani led New York City as mayor for eight years; Clinton is serving her second term as a Democratic senator from New York state.

"Giuliani's criticisms of Clinton — and his successful efforts to goad reactions by her campaign — are largely frustrating efforts by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to draw Giuliani into a fight over taxes and spending — perennial grist in Republican presidential primaries.

"Romney's campaign on Monday claimed that Giuliani had "left New York City with enormous deficits." The Romney campaign statement said New York City's budget grew 37 percent during Giuliani's tenure and that the gap between spending and revenue "more than doubled" to $3.1 billion.

"The Giuliani campaign did not immediately respond to Romney's attack. But it did issue a statement recalling Giuliani's efforts to cut welfare rolls in New York City by 640,000 recipients during eight years in office.

"We changed the culture," Giuliani said. "When you walked into a welfare office, the people there learned that the new culture was to find a job for you, not just put you on welfare. And it transformed the city."