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Giuliani Outlines His Vision At Intended Turning Point

Tribune photo by GREG FIGHT

Republican presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made repeated references to the World Trade Center attacks Saturday at the Tampa Convention Center.

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By WILLIAM MARCH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 16, 2007

Updated: 12/15/2007 11:35 pm

TAMPA - With his status as GOP presidential front-runner in question, Rudy Giuliani made a speech here Saturday intended to mark a turning point in his campaign, but which relied heavily on past themes - his role after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, cleaning up New York City, and an aggressive stance on terrorism and homeland security.

"I've been tested in crisis, I'm ready to lead and the time is right now," he said repeatedly, embodying the campaign's new theme - "Tested. Ready. Now."

Giuliani's speech was heavy on description of what he wants America to be, but contained few details on policy and no new ones.

"Today I'm going to share with you ... my vision of the America that I want to hand over to my successor," he said.

He went on to describe a country where "schools are the best in the world," where "we've ended illegal immigration," that achieves energy independence "by diversifying our sources of energy," that "embraces the global economy," and that is "stronger, safer and more secure."

Giuliani portrayed himself as continuing the Ronald Reagan tradition of optimism and simplicity in confronting America's enemies.

"Let's decide for optimism, not pessimism - for hope, not despair - for victory, not defeat," he said, repeating Reagan's famous 1977 statement of his policy toward the Soviet Union: "We win and they lose."

"Some people look at the challenges we face as a nation and they fear the future. I welcome it," Giuliani said. "I welcome the opportunity to keep America safe and secure. We will win the terrorists' war on us."

The speech contained repeated references to the World Trade Center attack, the event that gave Giuliani the national stature that has made his run for president possible.

The nation, he said, was "at our best to deal with the horror and the shock and the pain of Sept. 11."

He said he learned the same lesson in New York that Florida learned from its hurricanes - that the nation must be "ready to withstand anything that comes our way."

"I've led in situations that seemed hopeless and dire, in need of a miracle," he said. "I don't just pray for miracles, I don't just hope for miracles; I expect miracles."

Giuliani's campaign said the speech was intended to mark the transition from the fundraising phase of the campaign to direct voter contact.

But it also came at a time when Giuliani has been slipping in national polls and trailing in the early primary states, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

He gave the speech in Tampa at least in part because his campaign is relying heavily on the larger, delegate-rich states that hold primaries later, including Florida. The Tampa Bay area, particularly Pinellas County, has been a Giuliani strong point.

The crowd of perhaps a couple of hundred people didn't quite fill a meeting room at the Tampa Convention Center.

Asked in an interview afterward for his prediction for the outcome of the Florida primary, Giuliani said, "I'm gonna win." He wouldn't say by how much: "Winning is winning, by 1 or 20."

Giuliani also has been the subject of recent news stories detailing possible ethical problems he incurred as mayor.

Asked whether those are problems, he said, "They're not, because of the results. ... I have concrete results to point to. I really did turn around a major city that nobody thought could be turned around."

Giuliani partisans in the crowd said they are not worried, particularly about Mike Huckabee, who has come from nowhere in the past month to challenge Giuliani in Florida and the early states.

Former state Rep. Leslie Waters, a Giuliani Pinellas County co-chair, said Huckabee will fade. "In a few weeks, it may be Hucka-who."

Hillsborough County GOP political director Greg Truax, who is neutral in the race, agreed. "Press scrutiny is going to wear Huckabee down," and Giuliani will win the Florida primary and the nomination, Truax predicted.

On Friday, news broke of a journal article in which Huckabee took a foreign policy stance significantly different in tone from Giuliani's, calling for more diplomatic outreach and criticizing the Bush administration's go-it-alone "arrogant bunker mentality."

That immediately drew sharp criticism from Romney, but a Giuliani press aide said the campaign had no response Saturday.

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com.

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