Rudy Fires Up The Crowd

Well we’ve been wondering if the GOP would match the Democrats in terms of the keynote address, and now the question has been answered with a solid yes.

Rudy Giuliani has fired up the crowd with an energetic and often eloquent address. I am sure that some of our readers did not agree with the sentiments expressed but I don’t think anyone can deny that the speech was a home run in terms of energizing the crowd, more than matching the equally-impressive address last week by Mark Warner.

In a strong 25 minute address he laid out the case for John McCain and offered some fairly sharp criticisms for Senator Obama.

He began by looking back at his own Presidential campaign and commented:

Almost exactly one year ago during a Republican presidential debate in Durham, New Hampshire, I said that if I weren’t running for President myself, I’d be supporting John McCain. Well, I’m not, and I do.

Every four years, we are told that this Presidential election is the most important election of our lifetime. This year – 2008 – IS the most important.

He then launched into the experience issue but did so in an interesting way, asking voters to consider their vote for President as if they were hiring someone for a job (which if you think about it is exactly what we are doing).

You’re hiring someone to do a job – an important job that involves the safety and security of your family. Imagine that you have two job applications in your hand – with the names and party affiliations taken off the top. They’re both good and patriotic men – with very different life experiences that have led them to this moment in history.

You’ve got to make this decision right. Who would you hire?

He then compared the two records, pointing out that Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience and a long record of dedication to his country.

On the one hand, you’ve got a man who has dedicated his life to the service of his country. He’s been tested time and again by crisis. He’s passed every test.  Even his adversaries acknowledge that he is a true American hero. He loves America as we all do – but he’s sacrificed for it as few do. As a young man, he joined the military…and being a “Top Gun” kind of guy, he became a fighter pilot. He was on a mission over Hanoi when his plane was shot down.

He discussed the long years that McCain spent in prison camps in Vietnam as well as the incredible suffering he endured before moving on to cite McCain’s years of experience in Congress and his willingness to work across party lines. He compared this with the record of Senator Obama, pointing out his service in the Illinois legislature was largely that of a typical Chicago machine politician. He then cited his record in the Senate, pointing out that (as even some Democrats have admitted) he was basically running for President from the moment he arrived in DC, serving as a ‘celebrity Senator’

On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature – where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted “present.”

As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote “present.” And you know, when you’re President of the United States, you can’t just vote “present.” You must make decisions.

A few years later, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a “celebrity senator.” No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right – it’s the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he’s never run a city, never run a state, never run a business.

He’s never had to lead people in crisis.

This is not a personal attack….it’s a statement of fact – Barack Obama has never led anything.

Taking on the issue of change in this election, Rudy delivered what I suspect will become a theme line of the McCain campaign, pointing out “change” is not a destination … just as “hope” is not a strategy. He continued by citing how Senator McCain’s policies will help to deliver the needed changes while also delivering leadership and experience.

Perhaps recognizing that Iraq remains a major issue, Rudy took things right on by pointing out that while today most people acknowledge that the surge has been helpful in improving the situation in Iraq that it was McCain who helped to push the issue when it was unpopular

Look at just one example in a lifetime of principled stands — John McCain’s support for the troop surge in Iraq. The Democratic Party had given up on Iraq. And I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that when they gave up on Iraq they were giving up on America. The Democratic leader in the Senate said so: “America has lost.”

Well, if America lost, who won? Al Qaida? Bin Laden? In the single biggest policy decision of this election, John McCain got it right and Barack Obama got it wrong.

If Barack Obama had been President, there would have been no troop surge and our troops would have been withdrawn in defeat.

He compared this to Obama who has recently had some difficulties with what even many of his supporters saw as flip-flops on issues like campaign financing and wiretapping. He gave a great line when he suggested that Biden ‘get that VP thing in writing’.

Seeking to re-enforce the image of Obama as not having the proper experience on foreign policy he discussed the situation in Georgia, comparing the responses of Obama and McCain.

Having been to that part of the world many times and having developed a clear worldview over many years, John knew where he stood. Within hours, he established a very strong, informed position that let the world know exactly how he’ll respond as President. At exactly the right time, John McCain said, “We’re all Georgians.”

Obama’s first instinct was to create a moral equivalency – that “both sides” should “show restraint.” The same moral equivalency that he has displayed in discussing the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel.

Later, after discussing it with his 300 foreign policy advisers, he changed his position and suggested that the “the UN Security Council,” could find a solution. Apparently, none of his 300 advisers told him that Russia has a veto on any UN action. Finally Obama put out a statement that looked …well, it looked a lot like John McCain’s.

He also took time to quote Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton when they called Obama as unqualified to be President, something that I think will be an undercurrent of the campaign even with Biden and Clinton on the ticket.

All things considered it was a good solid rally the troops kind of speech. Obviously I don’t expect Obama supporters to be excited about the content any more than I expected McCain supporters to be excited about speeches last week from Clinton, Warner or Gore.

But it was a well-delivered speech that did what was needed.