Posted by
John Embry on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 9:52:38 PM
John Embry Commentary
Wrong-way Rudy
Rudy Giuliani, in many ways, could have been a formidable candidate in the GOP presidential primary. I say this knowing full well that his positions on some social issues were at odds with the beliefs of rank-and-file Republicans. But, his high-profile status after 9/11, his tough foreign policy/terrorism stance, solid fiscal conservative credentials, and his law and order governance of an almost ungovernable city could have soothed some of the concerns of social conservatives.
However, wrong-way Rudy decided to pursue an unorthodox campaign strategy and it's getting ready to cost him dearly. Rudy will most likely run third in Florida despite putting all his eggs in the Sunshine Basket. In fact, if cash-strapped Huckabee was able to play full-time in Florida, it's possible that Rudy would drop to fourth.
Unfortunately, Rudy decided to follow a doomed campaign strategy similar to that of Fred Thompson. Hopefully, one of the many lessons to come out of the '08 campaign will be that if you're going seek your party's nomination for president, get in the race early and run hard in the early states. Rudy could have done that and would have appeared as the gritty fighter he is. Instead he took a pass and let Ron Paul run ahead of him much too often. His "don't run until Florida" campaign strategy is getting ready to be judged by voters in the Sunshine State. I have a feeling the mayor won't like the verdict.