ST. PAUL—Rudy Giuliani will finally deliver his keynote address tonight, marking his most high profile role in electoral politics since his own ill-fated presidential run.

The Giuliani campaign was done in by a variety of factors, not least among them a flawed strategy that put all its eggs in a Florida basket, an ability to assuage conservative concerns about his liberal positions on social issues, his unorthodox personal history, as well as this and this and this and this.

But the real death-blow to Giuliani’s campaign was arguably his association with Bernie Kerik, who Giuliani vouched for to be Secretary of Homeland Security, and who was later  read more »

ST. PAUL—Representative Pete King of New York thinks that Rudy Giuliani’s convention address, whenever it happens, and whatever else it accomplishes, is good for the former mayor.

“On one level it’s a real tribute to Rudy,” King said yesterday as he stood on the convention floor in the Xcel Energy Center with the New York delegation. “It shows the underlying support he has not just in the party but reaching out to independents around the country. This is an opportunity to really show what he can do. John McCain understands that to win you have to appeal to independents.”

Asked what the speech does for Giuliani, King said, “It reaffirms his standing in New York, that’s for sure.  read more »

Here’s Doug Muzzio, a professor of public policy at Baruch (and one the most quoted people in politics) on the Rudy Giuliani-Bernie Kerik story.

Speaking to me inside City Hall, Muzzio said the two were “made for each other.” Muzzio said Giuliani probably could survive this. Unless, of course, other stuff comes out. "Are there other skeletons," he asked. "Are there other things like this?”

]]> http://www.observer.com/2007/muzzio-after-kerik-what-else-giulianis-closet#comments Politics Bernie Kerik Doug Muzzio Rudolph Giuliani Fri, 09 Nov 2007 16:33:23 -0500 Azi Paybarah 60152 at http://www.observer.com