"There are terrorists around this world who are planning to come here and kill us," Giuliani said, framed by two furled American flags.

Raw Story
Apr. 06, 2007

Rudolph Giuliani boldly claims he knows more about terrorism than anyone in the 2008 White House race, riding his image as the hero of September 11, as he chases the Republican nomination.

But the man dubbed "America's mayor" after the 2001 attacks could founder, some analysts say, if he leans too heavily on his iconic image while social conservatives wary of Giuliani's moderate views warn that being a hero is not enough.

"Sure we are grateful he was there on 9/11," said Steve Scheffler, president of Iowa Christian Alliance, a powerful conservative group.

"But if he thinks his so-called superstar or rock-star status is going to carry him to the nomination, or through the election, he is mistaken."

Giuliani is lionized by supporters for his plain-spoken defiance of Al-Qaeda and for steadying his wobbling city in its darkest hour. Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter recently wrote that the world needed Giuliani's "Churchill-like" leadership.

A hero's aura cloaked Giuliani as the former New York mayor vowed to "go on the offense" against terror on his debut swing this week through Iowa, the state which is first to weigh on the presidential nominating process next year.

"It is a thing I understand better than anyone running for president ... I have been dealing with terrorism before September 11 and since September 11," Giuliani told 250 supporters in a school gymnasium Tuesday night.

"There are terrorists around this world who are planning to come here and kill us," Giuliani said, framed by two furled American flags.

But despite deep respect for Giuliani in the US heartland, and his position atop early Republican opinion polls, he still faces a tough sell.

Personality questions are hovering over the campaign, fuelled by tabloid headlines over the six marriages racked up by Giuliani and wife Judith Nathan and a criminal probe of his former associate Bernard Kerik.

Social and Christian conservatives, who helped President George W. Bush to two White House terms, may pose the biggest challenge.

Scheffer said conservatives worry about Giuliani's moderate positions on issues like gun control, abortion and same-sex relationships, the legacy of life in ultra-liberal New York.

Costas Panogopoulos, director of the Elections and Campaign Management Program at Fordham University, New York, said Giuliani's September 11 heroism would not alone be sufficient to beat Republican challengers like Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

"That story may be enough to get him some early momentum. Whether that is going to be enough to sustain an entire presidential campaign, I am not convinced," he said.

Julian Zelizer, professor of history at Boston University, said: "So far he is running like it is 2004 ... (but) the public is not as scared of terrorism as it was a few years ago.

"If he does not refine (his message), that and all the questions of his personality look like they could kill his campaign."

Aware of his weaknesses, Giuliani is increasingly stressing his fiscal conservative roots, and lashing out at profligate spending in Washington.

He speaks admiringly of conservative Supreme Court judges, seeks common ground with activists by invoking their hero Ronald Reagan and claims credit for purging New York of rampant street crime.

"I have a record of producing and getting results. I get things done, I have proved it before, I can prove it again," he said Tuesday.

One hopeful sign for Giuliani is that next year's compressed nomination calendar, which gives moderate states like New York and California extra weight, may make conservatives in places like Iowa less important.

He may also benefit from the fact that independent voters in Iowa can register as Republicans for January's Iowa caucuses.

Among the Republican crowd Tuesday night was Dave Voles, a Des Moines Democrat, who reflected Giuliani's wide appeal when he admitted he was thinking of voting for him if he won the nomination.

"He showed that he was a strong leader, and I like him for that, that is what we need in this country," Voles said.

Some conservatives also say they may swallow their concerns and back Giuliani, in the belief he could beat Senator Hillary Clinton if she becomes Democratic nominee.

"I would rather have someone like him than Hillary Clinton in the White House," said Des Moines Republican T.J. Augustine.

But Scheffler, who complains Giuliani has so far ignored Iowa conservatives, disagreed.

"I have worked with these people for 30 years, I don't believe that is the majority view."