A Platform I Could Support

It's very early, but so far, I like what Giuliani has to say.  His libertarian emphasis really appeals to me.  I don't really care much about Republican social issues, upon which the article below notes, Giuliani remains unfocused.  I probably disagree with most Republican views on social issues anyway - though certainly not to the point where I'd be willing to vote for a Democrat:

Mayor Giuliani is calling on the Republican Party to redefine itself as "the party of freedom," focusing on lower taxes, school choice, and a health care system rooted in free market principles.

Delivering a policy-driven overview of his presidential platform yesterday, Mr. Giuliani outlined the agenda in a Washington speech before a conservative think tank that sought to make clear distinctions between his vision and that of the Democrats, if not his rivals for the Republican nomination in 2008. The former New York mayor's proposed redefinition of the Republican platform would signal a shift away from any focus on social issues, on which Mr. Giuliani is much less ideologically aligned with the party.

Mr. Giuliani reserved his strongest criticism yesterday for Democrats, but he also said the government's handling of the war on terrorism had done "damage" to America's reputation abroad.

"We have to say to the rest of the world, ‘America doesn't like war,'" Mr. Giuliani said. "America is not a military country. We've never been a militaristic country," he added, saying national leaders have fallen into an "analytical warp" by defining the battle as a war on terrorism and not, as he deemed it, a "war of the terrorists against us."

Oh, yes.  Excellent point.  Here, here.

More than 200 scholars from Stanford University's Hoover Institution greeted Mr. Giuliani warmly, but a few had pointed questions for him. One audience member asked him to respond to a "deep concern" that his background as a mayor had given him little experience in foreign policy.

"What makes you think that the mayor of New York City doesn't need a foreign policy?" Mr. Giuliani shot back, drawing a roar of laughter and applause from the luncheon crowd.

He said that as mayor, he was familiar with every aspect of foreign policy that affected the city in the 1990s, and he added that since he left office in 2001, he has made "91, 92" international trips to "34, 35" countries, often meeting with heads of state or top deputies. "It's something that I think I know as well as anybody else who's running for president, probably better than a lot," he said.

He also cited his company, Giuliani Partners, which he said has done business around the globe. "So I know the world," he concluded.
In his 30-minute speech, Mr. Giuliani focused more on policy than he has in many previous campaign stops. His speech was also notable for its departure from two cornerstones of his candidacy thus far: his record of reducing crime in New York and his experience leading the city after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Instead, Mr. Giuliani talked about taxes, education, and health care, saying they are areas where Republican ideas trump those of Democrats.

Democrats, he said, would want to raise taxes to pay the higher costs of a war. "That shows a dividing line, and to me, a misunderstanding of how our economy works," Mr. Giuliani said. He said that while Republicans believe that the American economy is "essentially a private economy," Democrats "really believe, honest, that it is essentially a government economy."

Sounds good.  Very good.

If only we could short circuit the process and hold the election right now.  Just imagine all of the back and forth, back stabbing, nasty campaigning, going on and on and on and on ad nauseum, we'd be spared...

Comments

[soccerdad]

The only major non-libertarian issue he's likely to hold is on gun control.
Of course he had a foreign policy. He refused to treat Arafat as a dignitary and refused to take Prince Alwaleed's blood money.

[Gail]

I tend to switch sides depending on what I read when it comes to gun control. It's not a deal breaker issue for me personally.

I was going to mention Prince Alwaleed in my post, but I couldn't remember his name. Yes, that was a great move.