Watching Rudy on Meet the Press today, it became apparent that he aspires to reenter politics sometime in the near future. Russert asked about the Presidency in 2008 and a run against Hillary Clinton in 2006.
Now, it’s doubtful that Bush and Rove would do anything to help the White House ambitions of a moderate Republican, but John Ashcroft is a campaign liability and with his recent diagnosis of pancreatitis, it might be a good time for him to step aside for the good of the party. Now, I’m not a New Yorker, but I can’t see Giuliani as a senator (he seems to be more of an executive), and think that with his background as a federal prosecutor he has the right resume for the A.G. job.
Would Rudy be a good choice, politically or otherwise, for a replacement for Ashcroft, now or at the beginning of the next term, if Bush is reelected?
I think Guliani would be a fine attorney general. But I would also expect him to pretty much everything Ashcroft has done, since Guliani thinks Ashcroft has done an excellent job. So I suspect that he would wind up being just as hated by the left as Ashcroft is.
Why is that? Having disliked subordinates deflects some criticism off the boss. Maybe Colin Powell is the real liability, since he seems more popular than the President.
Actually Powell and Ashcroft have been good cabinet members albeit for opposite reasons. There was an article rating cabinet members, in National Journal, that explained this.
Pancreatitis is an acute problem, and when it is due to gallstones (as Ashcroft’s reportedly is), you get rid of the gallstones and you take care of the problem. He might never have another bout.
There are innumerable reasons why Ashcroft shouldn’t be in the office, but his health is not one of them.
With regard to the pancreatitis, I wasn’t saying that it means his health is in peril or that he should step down because of it, but that it would make a nice occasion for him to say, “I’ve been in public service for a while, and my recent health reaffirms my desire to spend time with my family.” (If he were older than 62 I suppose it would sound like a more honest excuse.)
SteveEisenberg: Could you summarize that article? I can’t find it on National Journal’s site and most of their articles, at least from past experience, require paid registration.
As for Ashcroft being a campaign liability, he had the disadvantage of being hated by the left before he was appointed. I went to a Kerry rally last month and his line about how he would appoint an A.G. who wasn’t Ashcroft (well, duh) met with some of the biggest applause of the afternoon. Ashcroft was attacked during his confirmation for his extreme views on abortion and the Confederacy, baggage Giuliani certainly does not have (he’s pro-choice). I’m about as liberal as they come and I’d have no problem with Giuliani as Attorney General.
People like Giuliani, and he would sail through confirmation. And if he were challenged on enforcing the Patriot Act, he could just probably mention his experiences on Sept. 11 and render himself virtually immune to criticism for enforcing what Republicans say is anti-terror law.
Yea. Imagine their hubris in not putting a magazine which is, I think, $1,700 for an annual subscription, for free on the web.
A did find a link with a summary, but it does not seem to include the theory I remembered about how Ashbrook being hated protects Bush from being hated. Actually, since Bush has now become at least as hated as Ashbrook, one might question the idea that Ashbrook provides a shield. Anyway:
Sure, because politicians often voice criticisms of administrations they are angling for a job with.
I think Guliani would make an excellent AG (actually, its a far better position for him than mayor, which I don’t think he was particularly talented, certainly not as talented as he was in his previous jobs), but even a cursory examination of his politics sets him in a pretty different realm from Ashcroft.
I think Ashcroft is a pretty good AG. I think Giuliani would make a good one as well.
The country as a whole owes Giuliani a big thanks for breaking the back of the New York City mob when he was a federal prosecutor. The mob is a shadow of what it once was, and he had a big role in that.