Op-Ed: Breathe Easier, America, Giuliani is out

Rudy Giuliani has thrown in the towel on his presidential bid after having done poorly in Florida. He is supporting John McCain, although such an endorsement may or may not be good news, considering the way some people feel about "America's Mayor."

He was a media darling from the beginning of this election season. America’s Mayor, a media ‘frontrunner’ from day one. Strangely enough, many people asked who was supporting him. Few people seemed to know anyone that believed Mr. Nine-Eleven-Twenty-Four-Seven would make a good president. Many saw past the emotional hooks of the constant 9/11 refrain as well as the media influence and decided that a scandal ridden, abortion supporting, gun grabbing, authoritarian was not what they wanted in a conservative candidate. Money dried up. Votes were nearly non-existent in early states, which some blamed on his refusal to actively campaign in certain areas. Others blamed the poor performance on his message. Tough talk gives some people reassurance. Some may want a paternalistic leader to take care of them, or at least give them the sense of being taken care of, and Giuliani has the tough talk down pat. Yet, what real foreign policy experience does he have? It seems clear that he intended to give us ‘four more years’ of the Bush Doctrine, to which he’s obviously been told, “Thanks but no thanks.” Let's just hope his endorsing McCain isn't an effort to suck up in the hope of securing the VP spot... The clearest sense I have of the man people seem to either love or hate is based on a statement he made during a speech more than a decade ago. If I had to describe him in one word, it would be authoritarian. The statement has been seared into my memory since I first read the words in the New York Times, and aptly describes the impression I get from Rudy Giuliani:

“…freedom is not a concept in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be. Freedom is about authority. Freedom is about the willingness of every single human being to cede to lawful authority a great deal of discretion about what you do.”

He did mention that we shouldn't only view authority as being oppressive, which is true. Still, to hold such beliefs, to have said such a thing in any context, I'll have to go with, "No thanks."