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Giuliani Exits The Race With Dignity

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 31, 2008

Classy" is not how many of us think of Rudy Giuliani, who has a reputation for being combative, but that's how he left the presidential race Wednesday following a rousing concession speech Tuesday night.

Giuliani's politically risky plan to win Florida's Republican primary and propel himself to his party's presidential nomination ended Tuesday when, after months on the stump here, he finished third behind John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Nevertheless, the former mayor of New York City is justifiably proud of the positive campaign he ran. He did not set about tearing down his opponents. He focused on his ideas. Florida Republicans just didn't buy into them.

Voters here, as elsewhere, are tired of the politics of fear, and Giuliani's constant reminders of his leadership following the terrorist attacks on his city in 2001 and his almost single-minded focus on national security and terrorism did not sway them to his side. While national security remains paramount in selecting the nation's next leader, with unemployment reaching a two-year high and job growth stagnating, Giuliani sounded too much like a single-issue candidate.

Giuliani once led among likely Republican contenders by as much as 20 points in some Florida polls. But as the media's focus moved to races in other states, and as the competition heated up, he all but dropped out of sight. He couldn't regain the spotlight.

"America's Mayor" was gracious in defeat. "I'm proud that we chose to stay positive and to run a campaign of ideas," he said. "We ran a campaign that was uplifting. You don't always win, but you can always try to do it right."

Giuliani on Wednesday threw his support to McCain, who the night before praised the former mayor in his celebratory speech.

And if the mayor is right about the importance of Florida's primary, one of the two winning candidates - McCain or Hillary Clinton for the Democrats - will likely be the next president of the United States.

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