A GOP Race That Refuses To Narrow

washingtonpost.com: Giuliani Should Not Misjudge McCain As The Race Gets More And More Intriguing

(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Dan Balz in washingtonpost.com's blog The Trail.

---

Rudy Giuliani and John McCain long ago traded places in the Republican presidential campaign, but after Sunday's Florida debate, the former mayor should not make the mistake of misjudging the Arizona senator the way McCain once underestimated him.

Mitt Romney has longed to turn the Republican race into a two-person contest with Giuliani. Sunday's debate reminded him he has other competitors he may have to deal with first. As a result, the Republican race gets more and more intriguing.

In almost all ways, Giuliani and McCain have been respectful rivals. At an earlier debate, Giuliani said that, if he weren't in the race, he probably would be endorsing McCain. For his part, McCain has often had kind words for the former mayor and his performance after terrorists attacked New York on Sept. 11, 2001.

But as rivals, neither has fully appreciated the damage the other could to his hopes of winning the Republican nomination. McCain made the mistake first; now Giuliani threatens to repeat it.

A year ago at this time, McCain was seen as the nominal frontrunner for the GOP nomination and his 2008 campaign already was moving at a swift pace. He was trying to court members of President Bush's political network, putting together organizations in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina, gathering endorsements and recruiting fundraisers.

McCain's advisers saw Giuliani as a minimal obstacle in their path to the nomination. Many of them doubted he would formally become a candidate. Like other supposedly smart people in the political community, they assumed he was too socially liberal ever to be a serious threat to lead a party that has been socially conservative since Ronald Reagan became president.

Fast forward through the spring and summer and the two have undergone a role reversal. Now Giuliani is the nominal frontrunner -- however fragile -- and McCain is viewed as the lightly regarded and seemingly implausible contender for the nomination.

McCain's summer implosion appeared to have ended all hope for his candidacy. On Sunday night, however, McCain was full of life on the stage in Orlando. If not the clear winner of the liveliest Republican debate of the year, he delivered many of the evening's most memorable moments.

McCain can be a slow starter in these debates, but after warming up with an afternoon town hall meeting, he hit the stage running. His opening line was a zinger aimed at his nemesis, Romney, over who was the real conservative in the race.

"Governor Romney, you've been spending the last year trying to fool people about your record," he said. "I don't want you to start fooling them about mine... I stand on my record of a conservative and I don't think you can fool the American people. I think the first thing you'd need is their respect."

A few minutes later, he had the audience cheering and laughing at Hillary Clinton's expense, while reminding everyone that his public service includes six years as a prisoner of war in the Hanoi Hilton. Blasting Clinton's proposal to spend $1 million in tax dollars for a memorial to the Woodstock rock concert, a "cultural and pharmaceutical event" that he said he could not attend because, "I was tied up."

Still later he rattled Russian President Vladimir Putin's house with a line appropriated from former secretary of state Colin Powell and some tough talk suggesting troubles for the Russian leader if he were to become president.

Mocking President Bush's comments after the first Bush-Putin meeting, McCain said that when he had looked into Putin's eyes, "I saw three letters: a K, a G and a B." He continued by saying, "He bullies his neighbors and he wants to get a control of the energy supply of Western Europe. This is a dangerous person. And he has to understand that there's a cost to some of his actions."

The last thing Giuliani needs now is a McCain on the rebound. He prefers a rising Mike Huckabee and an improving Fred Thompson to splinter further the most conservative wing of the party and thereby cut into Romney's potential support. That's just what appears to be happening.

The weekend's events showed Romney was premature to assume his only real rival is Giuliani. He saw Huckabee's powerful appeal to religious and social conservatives in the results of the straw poll among those who attended the Values Voters summit in Washington. Huckabee ran away from the field, according to those who heard the candidates speak. On Sunday night, Thompson showed he had learned from some of his early missteps, delivering a more effective performance than in his first debate.

The more that conservative voters are divided, the better for Giuliani. The danger for Giuliani from a revitalized McCain candidacy comes in New Hampshire. The Giuliani campaign sees New Hampshire as the best opportunity to derail Romney's early-state strategy, but he and McCain are competing there, especially for many of the same socially moderate voters. McCain's roots there are stronger than anywhere else, a byproduct of his big 2000 victory over Bush in the state.

Where Giuliani still has an edge over McCain is in his zeal to attack Clinton, which by every indication is something Republican voters are anxious to see in their nominee. McCain is more respectful of his Senate colleague than are the other GOP candidates, and Giuliani has made attacks on Clinton one of his calling cards in the nomination battle.

Giuliani ought no longer assume that McCain is a non-factor in the Republican race. Given his limited resources and his long history of antagonism with some parts of the conservative base, McCain's chances of winning the nomination are still limited. But almost every vote he attracts may be one that Giuliani was counting on winning a few months ago.

Romney ought not to assume Thompson will continue to sputter and Huckabee won't be able to enlarge his support, particularly in Iowa. The Republican race may yet become a contest between Giuliani and Romney, but it may have some significant twists ahead before it reaches that point.

[stopthewarrr]

***** Stop The War & Corporate Corruption *****

Why Don''t You Know Ron Paul??????

The corporate media will not give Ron Paul any Exposure. Because, NBC is owned by GE. GE is one of the world''s largest war-makers. They make things that go boom. They make $Billions on war. A Ron Paul administration would be bad for business. CNN is owned by AOL. Majority share holder is Saudi Royal Talal who is also partners with GHWBush in The Carlyle Group. Another major warmaker. And on and on. You get the picture. This is why they are doing a Media Blackout on him. Because they don''''t WANT YOU TO KNOW THE TRUTH!

Who is Ron Paul?
http://www.ronpaul2008.com/about

Ron Paul WON The GOP Debate On Sunday!
Again No EXPOSURE!

***************************
RON PAUL IS THE ONLY POLITICAN REPUBLICAN OR
DEMOCRAT THAT WILL STOP THE WAR! NO ONE ELSE
WILL, PERIOD! WAKE UP AMERICA! VOTE RON PAUL 2008
TAKE CARE OF AMERICA AND OUR PEOPLE FIRST, INSTEAD
OF HAVING OUR CHILDREN DIE IN A B.S. WAR!
***************************

[abbe91]

"Well, the media likes Guiliani. He''''s nothing more than a glorified Democrat. There''''s no wonder he gets so much air time and press.
Posted by Hwy71So at 07:53 AM : Oct 23, 2007"

He certainly shows republican values ...
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=3753385

[hwy71so]

cfin5

Awesome quote.

[cfin5]

l8c6,......In response to your post from last night at 9:45PM about this not being 1776 I would differ somewhat. It is true that the "knowledge" involved with our daily lives is far greater than then, but the "wisdom" of our founding fathers past is needed now more than ever to steer (govern) that knowledge......"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animated contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.----Samual Adams This quote and much more like it from 1776 are as currently relevant today as then.

[fairandbal]

Hmmm.... looking at the GOP candidates may give you an idea of why the field doesn''t narrow? They''re all a bunch of old, rich, white men....

[chucktruck2]

A litle problem...WE ARE GOING TO LOSE...PROLIFERS have voted prolife for 30 years ...remember CARTER???...wake up...wake up ...WAKE UP AND SMELL THE POSTUM..."Evangelicals for Mitt" ...or Elect Romnney in 2008" ...Rudy and Fred and Huck can not win ...Bill Clinton for... FIRST PERSON...

[antoniof123]

When will these nut cases learn. American in 1994 was just dissatisfied with the Democrats and how they were running things. But after 12 years of how the Republicans have been running things and two more years with the decider on board well, go figure that one out. Please these guys are just the same as the old Contract on America bunch.

1994 Bill Clinton was a beat dog, so he jumped like America said too do and he did then asked how high on the way up. America saw that he represented Americans and he was rewarded in 1996 by a clear cut victory no matter what slander they threw at him. Then America said don''t have a witch hunt but the Republicans continue it and in 1998 we punished them. Still they did not learn because in 1996 we said jump to the Republican party. But instead of standing for the American people the leader of the Republican party hunkered down and said I am the decider and we will do what I say.

So now I ask you what do you think the American people will do to them in 2008, if you don''t listen to your masters then be afraid be very afraid.

Lets see what happens in 2008 because now we are angry in America.

[tonysp2]

I don''t think Mike Huckabee would be easily manipulated by the Bush family interests and thus will not be elected US president. The major Democratic candidates, by their recent statements regarding how long the US military will stay in Iraq and their vocifierous positions on Iran, have shown a willingness to go along with the Bush family agenda. Of course all the major Republican candidates would enthusiastically serve the Bush family. In the 2000''s the major requirement to be President of the United States is to promote the Bush family business interests, and I don''t see Huckabee doing this.

[hwy71so]

Well, the media likes Guiliani. He''s nothing more than a glorified Democrat. There''s no wonder he gets so much air time and press.

Y''all reckon he''s kin to Hillary? :P

[cfin5]

ChrisBieber at 11:34PM,.......Welcome here my friend! If our representatives would have had a constitutional pair in regards to simply understanding what it means to be an American, we wouldn''t be complaining here today.......Keep it up as the truth does rebuke both sides so don''t spare anyones pet political toes.

[merlgrey]

is it me, or do most (at least the supposed frontrunners) of the candidates seem like power hungry zeolots? really, democrat or rebulican. but mostly hillary, romney, girlianni, mccain, maybe oblama, to a lesser extent the others... the point is, the only candidate that seems to not be power hungry, and really is concerned about out individual liberties and freedoms (which I care about) is ron paul. the other candidates don''t even seem to feel it is necessary to feed us a line of BS on it... they overlook it completely and disregard it. does anyone else care about thier freedoms anymore? patriot act anyone? secret prisons? are everyone that scared? is it all that terror talk? or are people even more scared to admit that enormous mistakes have occurred and we all just stood by, so better to ignore it rather than take responsibility?

[harp1963]

If the GOP is the moral party, then I''m Elvis Presley.

[sparks224]

A GOP Race That Refuses To Narrow

The Race for the Leader of the Narrow-Minded People, Refuses to Narrow.
Is that Irony?

[neobrian-2009]

GOP claims THEY are " Conservative Spenders " HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ,..CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS ??? Santa ? The Easter Bunny? WMD? GOP Conservative spenders ? Fair Elections ? Honesty in The Oil Room ? The check`s in the mail,..

[condumism]

LETS TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT RON PAUL:

Ron Paul, a Southern State Republicon Extremist will:
1. Eliminate Social Security
2. Maintain Corporate Americas status quo of the fleecing of the US Health Care system
3. Eliminate OSHA
4. Eliminate the EPA
5. Continue to waste billions on the most wasteful government agency of all: the Defense Department.

[sparks224]

"FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL..."
Posted by ChrisBieber

Thomas Jefferson believed strongly in this.
It%u2019s one of the principles this country was founded on, along with the separation of church and state.
But then I''m sure you already knew that.

[condumism]

Besides more fascism and the grand larceny of the US Dollar, any clue what these Repiglicons represent?

[chrisbieber]

Government controls of your life your liberty and your property/business...that is not freedom that is servitude...

Only Ron Paul is opposed to the CONTINUED march to Socialism and Globalism..

He has taken the oath to honor and obey the RULES and LIMITATIONS of the Constitution..and keeps his word(votes accordingly) UNLIKE THE REST OF THE CANDIDATES...

The continued linkage of Ron Paul to the rotten Republican Team and Agenda is false and either deliberate lying or willful ignorance.

He is the ONLY Candidate that wants to take a CHAINSAW to the UNCONSTITUTIONAL Alphabet Socialist Federal Government...unlike the Republicrats who want to make a "better" more "Republicratic" IRS/BATF/SEC/IMF/CIA/ICC/OSHA/FCC/NSA and the sacred cow of the NEA elitist socialists, the Department er MINISTRY of (STATE)Education...gee all you experts..JUST HOW MANY TIMES!! is the WORD "education" in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights???? Hint..as many times as the WORD "democracy"...

you whiners at the trough of the state keep at it...see where that gets you.sort of like conditioned, servile and obedient Skinner Rats..you''ll maybe get a bigger slice of TAXPAYER SUBSIDIZED CHEESE...

PS the WORD "education" IS used in SOCIALIST Karl Marx''s COMMUNIST MANIFESTO...the SOCIALIST blueprint to SOCIALIZE a nation..the 10th Plank..FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION FOR ALL...

[condumism]

The GOP has no plan except what their Corporate America sponsor wants. The GOP is like a codependent person that will do everything to make their parent, Corporate America happy, while neglecting their core base of fools. This is todays Republicon Party. Trust US, Republicons can not be trusted to manage the affairs of government, because they have completly sold out to corporations. The Republicon record since 1995 speaks very clearly for itself. All Republicons have teh character of used car salesmen.

[l8c6]

HITLERY has the backing of all the big military contractor donations. HITLERY plans on staying the course in IRAQ and good chances starting a war with IRAN. By the way, Iran is 3-8 YEARS away from making a
nuclear bomb.

Posted by tylenol6

Since Iran is so close to irradiating you and your family does this mean you are backing Hitlery?