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McCain-Giuliani Clash Possible
Sen. John McCain is preparing for a 2008 showdown with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who so far who leads him in the presidential race according to most polls. While the two men remain personally friendly, sharing dinner recently at a Manhattan bistro, Newsday reports that McCain's team is monitoring Giuliani's every move - including keeping track of how much face time the former mayor gets on TV. Meanwhile, McCain insiders aren't shy about trashing the former mayor's presidential prospects. "In my humble opinion, Rudy wouldn't get out of the gate," longtime McCain strategist John Dennehy tells the paper. Dennehy helped engineer the Arizona senator's 2000 primary win in New Hampshire.
Story Continues Below Some openly suggest that the man dubbed "America's mayor" for his stellar performance after the 9/11 attacks may eventually end up working for McCain. "I think Rudy would make an attractive secretary of state or secretary of defense in a McCain administration," said former McCain aide Marshall Wittmann. McCainiacs have good reason to be concerned. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed Giuliani would win the coming primary battle, beating McCain, 34 percent to 31 percent. Another problem for the Arizona maverick: 20 percent of Republicans said they wouldn't vote for McCain under any circumstances. Only 8 percent said the same thing about Giuliani. Meanwhile, survey after survey shows that while both men could beat likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Giuliani's margin of victory is almost always greater. Team McCain intends to counter the former mayor's advantage by painting their man as the rightful heir to president Bush's conservative mantle, and by focusing on Giuliani's liberal positions on abortion, gay rights and gun control. "The difficulty for Rudy, and it's huge, is that he's pro-choice, and Republican primary voters will never pick anybody who doesn't oppose abortion - period," Wittmann told Newsday. Team McCain seems to realize that it doesn't have time to waste when it comes to getting the jump on Giuliani. The senator's political organization is moving full speed ahead into campaign mode and has "steadily expanded [into] a national team of hundreds of political professionals and volunteers," Newsday says. McCain's people are keeping such a close eye on their main rival that they're even monitoring "how many minutes of network airtime Giuliani gets compared with their man." They're also on the alert for any indication that the former mayor is beginning his own campaign, with McCain aides routinely checking their contacts around the country for signs of Giuliani activity. Meanwhile, even as "America's Mayor" routinely outpolls McCain nationally, Newsday says his organization remains so small it "could fit comfortably into a minivan." And while Giuliani himself says he won't make a decision till 2007, some of his aides say they're not sure he even wants to enter the race. Referring to the scrutiny that forced his former police commissioner, Bernard Kerik, to withdraw his nomination for Homeland Security Czar, one Giuliani insider tells Newsday: "Does he really want to go through that, too? My gut tells me he's not going to run." Editor's note:
Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:
2006 Elections
Inside Cover Stories
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