Over at the New Republic, Jonathan Chait
questions Giuliani's foreign policy experience:
Giuliani's
presidential campaign is starting to win a cult following among
conservatives. It's not his position on domestic policy that's
doing it--he has nothing to say about that. Lord knows it's not his
social issue positions, which even his strongest backers
acknowledge are his political weak point. No, he has somehow built
a record as a foreign policy guru despite having no experience
beyond the municipal level.
I have always felt that if Giuliani were to lose, it wouldn't be
the social issues that would be his downfall, but it would be if
his opponents could poke holes in his national security
credentials. Just as Mitt Romney will be toast if he can't convince
social conservatives that his transformation was genuine because
he's basing his candidacy on being a real conservative, Giuliani
will go down in flames if people start to think of him as just a
mayor who doesn't have any national security bona fides.
There are a few things I'd say in response to Chait. As mayor of
New York City, where the United Nations is based, Giuliani often
played host to foreign dignitaries--or, in Arafat's case, gave him
the boot. He went on overseas diplomatic trips (I can recall one to
Israel in 1996 off the top of my head). Also, he commanded a police
force of over 40,000 and used that police force to slash crime by
about 60 percent in a city that was written off as doomed. On Sept.
11, he demonstrated that when an unexpected crisis hits, he can
remain calm, make decisions under pressure, and demonstrate
strength in leading a rattled city--and nation.
Chait writes that, "If
having a macho swagger and talking tough about bad guys were enough
to make a good commander in chief, we wouldn't have the worst
foreign policy disaster in U.S. history on our hands right now in
Iraq." I don't think tough talk is enough, but I think Giuliani
brings more to the table than tough talk, specifically, a track
record of actually being able to follow through and implement his
vision. His record as mayor involved macho swagger, but he also got
results. To be sure, being president is in a totally different
league than any job somebody would hold before assuming the office,
but I think Giuliani's record matches up well against anybody in
the field.
If I were working for
McCain, though, instead of focusing on Giuliani's social
views--which will come out anyway--I'd try to raise doubts about
Giuliani's national security experience and emphasize McCain's
military background and decades in the Senate. In response,
Giuliani will have to emphasize his executive experience--something
McCain doesn't have. Also, right now, it's okay for Giuliani to
speak about the big picture when it comes to foreign policy. But as
the campaign goes on, he'll have to flesh out his views and
demonstrate a more subtle understanding of world affairs than his
current refrain of the need to "stay on offense against
terrorism."
topics:
Foreign Policy, Military, Iraq, Israel, United Nations
