Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.—Gustav Mahler

Friday, December 10, 2004

The Rudy Question

I thought Rudy Giuliani was the strongest speaker at the Republican National Convention. He followed McCain and made everyone forget about him. To me, he looked like Teddy Roosevelt declaiming from the stage. Impressive stuff. Hi-ever (as a southern military man I knew used to say), I don’t think he can win the nomination without seriously revisiting his stances on the social issues.

He doesn’t necessarily have to change, but he does need to be very careful in his framing. My suggestion would be to focus hard on security and economics and basically give uninteresting answers to questions about everything else. On the other hand, he could argue, for instance, in favor of a renewed commitment to federalism in which the states would be free to embrace their own moral frameworks and prove to the world what works. Remember Tommy Thompson and John Engler on welfare reform?

My own preference for 2008? Gimme Jeb. I think he’s actually the most talented Bush progeny and would make a superb President.

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