Rudy's tough row (and maybe mine)

For a couple of reasons I was not thrilled to see this article (here) about Rudy Giuliani's preliminary steps to seek the GOP nomination . . . first, I had hoped (though not nearly as much as my wife) to give politics somewhat of a rest and second, it brings to light a potentially bloody intra-party struggle over who will be the 2008 GOP standard bearer.

As the article states,

The former mayor is a moderate who supports gun control, same-sex civil unions, embryonic stem-cell research and abortion rights - stands that would put him at odds with the majority of the GOP conservative base.

Couple these Liberal stances with Giuliani's Libertine lifestyle (well, in relation to most Republican voters), and I thought up until very recently that Giuliani's candidacy was a non-starter. But considering that Hillary may be the Democrat nominee, Giuliani--as the Republican nominee, would certainly be the more Conservative choice, and some voting blocs (I'm thinking the folks at BCR and silk-stocking Republicans) won't let his "moderateness" on these issues keep them from supporting him.

Giuliani is off-the-charts gifted as a leader, but I'm just not sure that he can ride the tough-on-foreign-and-domestic-enemies horse through a GOP primary. First, he wouldn't stand out enough; second, he would have to overtly argue "electability" as a "part B" response to his answer on almost every issue.

Lastly, if Rudy became the nominee, I think Democrat politics of personal destruction would take the lustre off of his current public image. An uninspired base plus a plurality of hard-core Dems (in today's polarized electorate) is not a winning combination. And I'm hoping I won't be faced with having to support my second choice after another "spirited" GOP primary.