Democrats- Rudy 08- Read Carefully Before Answering?

As an English graduate student, former teacher, and believer in opinions form from primary sources, I was wondering what some similiar thinking Democrats had to say about Rudy. As a political centrist/moderate, having done my own research into the candidates, I am confused by some of the attacks of the left on him- both hypocritcaly (he had an affair and that's wrong, but Clinton was a great president...) and also by saying "he's exactly the same as Bush" which seems to be a mantra that doesn't exactly fit with his previous record esp. in regards to gay rights and gun control.

It seems to be that a lot of people fail to realize that looking at a candidates pre-primary website is not going to yeild an accurate depiction of a candidate as at this point, Rudy's defensiveness on his previous decisions are an attempt to gain the Republican nomination.

In regards to his real record, without the aid of a CNN/FOXNEWS agenda mindset, what do some well read, fair minded people think?

Thank you Jessis, I have already seen this information.

I personally don鈥檛 tow the party line, that other left wingers do, and state in a rote fashion that Rudy Giuliani is identical to Bush, nor do I think that his personal indiscretions should bear any weight on his candidacy.

What I do loath about Giuliani is that his platform, though not identical to Bush, has as central place in our 鈥淲ar Against Terror鈥? our continuation of the war in Iraq. To me the notion that the resolution of the Iraqi conflict is some how indispensable to our 鈥淲ar on Terror鈥?is absolute rubbish.

Anyone who has read history, and especially the history of guerilla warfare, which is what our combat against Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations is, will know that you cannot fight a guerilla war using conventional militaristic means. It is fought best through psychological operations, better counter-intelligence, and the elimination of ideological breeding grounds and charismatic facilitators.

The reason why I would not throw my vote Giuliani鈥檚 way is precisely because he is oblivious to this basic fact, in very much the same manner that Bush is.

I'm glad to see you acutually have done some research, but had you fully checked everything you would know why people feel the way they do in regards to Giuliani. Your right he had a public affair but that does not determine whether or not he will make a good president.. and I never used that against him.. My issues with Giuliani come from living in NYC, during the time he was mayor embroiled in all of his scandals. I suggest you read and watch the videos with an open mind.. and reconsider if he really whether he would make a good president or not... You mention gay marriges, but their is another republican canidate that agrees with them as well which is Ron Paul.. How about Giuliani's forgien policy, his views on the patriot act, taxes??? Do you know what he is being accused of by the firefighters union from 9/11... ? Why do people think he will be worse than Bush, because of his actions and ignorant assertions...

please read and watch the following:
Three marriages and a public affair. Millions earned at his post-9/11 consulting business from some questionable clients.... Also he may have forgotten to mention that when a woman who lost her husband came to claim the money he refused it and kept it for himself.. His disgraced former police commissioner and ex-business partner Bernard Kerik.

Critics are questioning credit the mayor is taking for reducing the city's crime rate. And his 9/11 credentials, which revived his political fortunes, are being challenged by a group that also emerged from the tragedy with a hero's sheen: firefighters.

And the firefighters, who blame Giuliani for outdated radios that failed on 9/11 and for suspending the search at ground zero when they say 242 firefighters were still missing, haven't been alone in questioning the former mayor's leadership. Though the federal 9/11 commission treated Giuliani with kid gloves during its hearings, it concluded that he had failed to get the police and fire departments to cooperate before the attacks and hadn't resolved a decade-old problem with firefighters' radios.

In their 2006 book, Grand Illusion, authors Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins also fault the mayor for moving the city's emergency command center to the 23rd floor of 7 World Trade Center in 1998. It put the center in a building that was part of the twin tower complex, which terrorists had attacked five years earlier. "He had prepared the city? Handled the aftermath? Fallacy," Barrett says.

the lack of radio contact led directly to the deaths of 121 of their comrades鈥攁 total of 343 firefighters perished that day鈥攚ho never received two evacuation orders before the North Tower collapsed. "[Giuliani's] attempt to be president of the United States is based solely on this urban legend, this myth of leadership on 9/11," says the union's general president, Harold Schaitberger.

some victims' family members aren't giving up. As Rudy Giuliani makes his run for the presidency, members of a group called Sept. 11 Firefighters and Families for Truth are protesting at campaign events around New York. They're echoing the earlier beefs and arguing that the city was not well prepared to deal with a terrorist attack. In regard to 9/11, they say, Giuliani was no hero.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mEEjX6j_...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaCYEEO-5...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZfBl_CI7...

I agree with what you say. And there is hypocrisy in both the Republican and Democrat parties. Marital status or sex lives do not determine how I vote anyway because it has nothing to do with one's ability to run this country. So far, the only weakness I could attribute to Rudy would be in the foreign affairs category. I usually never make a decision on how I will vote until I find out who the respective nominees are.

I'm registered as a Democrat, even though I dont consider myself one.

What do I think of Giuliani? He frightens me. His trying to scare people with threats of terror attacks is ridiculous, and his blatant capitalizing on 9-11 is disgusting in my mind.

He also happens to have an ego the size of Texas, mocks/attacks people who disagree with him, and tends to run things in a very autocratic way. None of those things win him any points with me.

Not to mention that hes not even close to being qualified for president. He has virtually no experience at the federal level and absolutely no foreign policy experience, which the next president is going to need.

Overall I see him as a typical politician with nothing real to offer. Just talking points, cheap rhetoric and attacks on others.