The Race Debate

"They call his name -- 'Rudy! Rudy! Over here, Rudy!' -- and take his picture and, though often lacking both paper and pen (he will provide both), they ask for his autograph.

"He is glad to oblige. He is delighted to oblige. Thus far in the 2008 presidential race, Giuliani has opened up a clear enthusiasm gap. He actually seems to enjoy campaigning. (Even if he is faking it, most of the other candidates aren't even bothering to do that.) . . .

"Giuliani is selling competence, not ideology. He ran America's largest city for eight years, and now he is ready to run America. That is his message."

But New York Post columnist John Podhoretz tells Rudy he's in danger of blowing the campaign:

"As a presidential candidate, you seem to be winging it these days -- giving off-the-cuff, ill-considered answers to delicate questions. If you keep winging it this way, you're going to fly off a cliff.

"For example, the answer to your pro-choice difficulty with social conservatives on the matter of abortion isn't to blather about how much you 'hate it' and then ruminate on whether the government should be responsible for helping pay for one. That's what you did last week, and you must never, ever do anything like it again -- if, that is, you actually want to become president.

"The answer to dealing with the abortion question is to do what you did as mayor -- to master the issue the way you mastered the weird particulars of zoning law in Manhattan.

"By which I mean, all the jurisprudence. All the arguments. The history of legislation on the matter. The history of court rulings. Immerse yourself in it and then argue your point from a position of strength, rather than relative ignorance.

"The same is true on issue after issue. You've been speaking to adoring audiences for five years now and they hang on your every word. But, as a presidential candidate, the situation is very nearly the opposite: Your words can hang you, and many of those in the audience are hoping to serve as the executioner."

There must be a solar eclipse: I've found an instance of the Wall Street Journal editorial page (whose members appear on Fox) agreeing with the Nation about the Dems pulling the plug on that presidential debate:

"The Internet vigilantes would like to drum Fox News out of polite society, but it's clear from the Black Caucus episode that this isn't really about Fox. This is about who runs the Democratic Party. Ever since they came close to nominating Howard Dean for President in 2004, left-wing Web activists have tried to punish any Democrat who dares to step out of line. They tried to run Joe Lieberman out of the Party for his views on Iraq, and they want to banish California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher because she's voted for free trade agreements.

"The pitchfork carriers now want to tell elected Democratic officials which journalists they can appear in public with. Messrs. Edwards and Obama are bowing to those orders because they've decided they can only defeat Hillary Clinton by running to her left. Of course if by some miracle one of them wins the nomination, he'll be known as the candidate from MoveOn.org in the general election too. Republicans will have fun with that one."