The American Spectator : The Spectacle Blog : Giuliani Skeptics

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The new Politico has a story out today quoting several skeptics who doubt that Rudy Giuliani will actually run for president, arguing that he's displaying the same attitude that he did in 2000, when he seemed to be dragging his feet in running for Senate against Hillary Clinton before ultimately dropping out. But I think those doubters are overlooking one aspect of his personality that will likely make his decision different this time around: his big ego. Giuliani, for better or worse, needs to be running the show. A lot of people in Washington were shocked in 1983 when Giuliani left his post as No. 3 man in the Reagan Justice Department to take the seemingly inferior post of U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York. But as prosecutor, he built his own fiefdom, and became a media fixture through high profile mafia and white collar crime cases. The position ultimately propelled him into the mayoralty, in which he exercised great power over New York City. Being a Senator would have made him 1 of 100, and he wouldn't have had the oppourtunity to be the head honcho or utilize his skills as a leader in an executive capacity. But obviously, given his need to be calling the shots, it's easy to see the appeal to him of being the President.

Also, as far as the 2000 race, it's worth remembering that when he dropped out, Giuliani had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Anybody who has a friend or family member who has undergone treatment for this understands how mentally, emotionally, and physically draining the process can be. So, it's not surprising that he would decide he couldn't undergo treatment, remain mayor, and run a high-profile Senate campaign against a sitting first lady.

(Ben Smith co-authored the Politico story, and he was the same reporter who disclosed the leaked Rudy campaign memo that caused a stir earlier this month. Politco has now posted the entire memo online, and Smith offers a guide to the document here.)

topics:
Hillary Clinton, NATO