About a week ago, TPMtv featured a revealing video montage of Rudy Giuliani going to almost comical lengths to duck the issue of Iraq. A leading presidential candidate, on the dominant issue of the day, simply doesn’t want to talk about it — and hasn’t for the last year or so.
With that in mind, I was encouraged to see a transcript the Wall Street Journal published over the weekend of a Giuliani interview with the paper’s editorial board. The WSJ’s editors, to their credit, seemed intent on getting some sense of the former mayor’s thoughts on the war. It’s a shame they came up empty.
The transcript is worth reading, if for no other reason than to enjoy the constant use of the phrase “on offense.” Giuliani demonstrated confusion about de-Baathification, repeatedly compared Iraq to New York City, and said national polls would show stronger support for the war if only pollsters would use the word “retreat” in the questions. All in all, the former mayor’s responses lacked a certain, shall we say, sophistication.
Consider this exchange:
WSJ: [Y]ou would give Petraeus all the time he needs?
Giuliani: Sure, if I thought he was right. I had a similar, on a lesser scale, issue with the police department or the fire department or whatever.
Or perhaps this illuminating question and response:
WSJ: So six months out and you’re on the campaign trail. The results of the surge are inconclusive, but Petraeus says “I can use more time” and you’re taking a beating for it, what are you going to say?
Giuliani: If I believe that General Petraeus is right, then I take the beating and you try to explain it to people. I think the American people in November 2008 are going to select the person they think is strongest to defend America against Islamic terrorism. And it is not going to just focus on — as some of the media wants it — just Iraq.
Yes, it’s that darned media’s fault Americans want presidential candidates to talk about a tragic war and how they’d handle it. If only journalists would stop asking these pesky questions, Giuliani wouldn’t have to go to such lengths to dodge them.
