His message is simple. If the homeland is attacked again nobody will be rougher and tougher and meaner when it comes to retalliation. In the War On Terror, we must stay on offence, he says over and over and over again.
To the surface observer, Guiliani looks like the in-charge, strong-as-steel father figure. But the surface observer may miss two facts of life which tend to soil the strong father figure image: (1) His son who will not speak with Guiliani because of the way the former mayor disposed of his former wife, who happens to be the son's mother; and (2) his daughter is now on record as a supporter of Democratic Party presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
So outside of the facts that his son won't talk to him and his daughter won't vote for him, Daddy is doing pretty well.
Firstly attacking someone based on their personal life is completely uncalled for. Chadler may or may not be attacking Guiliani in this instance. That is a point of debate.
What isn't a point of debate, is the limited value of bringing up a politician's personal life has to the question of whether he is to be supported or opposed.
We all have problems in our lives. We all make mistakes. It's like my Zia used to say "Don't act like your shit don't stink" - apologies to the language conscious out there but she did have a point.
Most politicians have a horrible personal life by nature of the job. Just how many politicians stay married in politics after 10 years? What about after 20?
I accept whole heartily that our personal lives affect every part of lives. When it comes to politicians I'm sure it is no different. I haven no doubt that links can be readily made between the penchant some politicians have towards making bad policy decisions, and the deteriorating nature of their relationships with family and friends.
That being said making a judgment call on someone based solely or primarily on their personal life is fool hearty.
Far better to judge a politician on what he believes in. In the case of Guiliani, he believes that torturing enemy combatants is ok, sees no problem with abortion on demand, and believes in law and order. He has made no appreciable commitment to cut rampant spending in the US or to do anything but maintain the status quo in Iraq.
That's my gist of Rudy Guiliani. And quite frankly I would say it's way more than enough fore people to oppose rather than to support.
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