The Leaked GOP Memos: Giuliani

The leaked strategy memos of Giuliani, McCain and Romney stirred a tempest earlier in the campaign. We have now obtained copies of the redacted material from those documents and excerpts from similar memos to other declared and potential Republican candidates. We cannot vouch for their authenticity. But they sound candid--and all too true. We present them here one by one -- with today's second installment on Rudy Giuliani -- in the spirit of Jonathan Swift, who, in his Modest Proposal, suggested that the Irish save themselves from famine by eating their children, and was taken seriously by the credulous and the censorious. After all, the Republicans, amid a famine of performance and ideas, today seem on the verge of cannibalizing themselves.

From the Giuliani Memo

To: RAG

You're riding a wave right now, but the tide could easily leave you marooned on the rocks ahead.

Rock number one: Your politics. You used to claim your hero was Robert Kennedy; you stoutly denied you were a Reagan Republican; you said that you are pro-choice and support Roe v. Wade; that you favor gay rights--and you moved in with a gay couple after your second marriage ended. You're for gun control - or were until yesterday. (And there is the unfortunate fact that you appeared in drag on stage for a press roast in New York.)

Now the only way out of all this, in addition to keeping people focused on 9/11, is to promise that you'll appoint "strict constructionists" to the courts; you've done that, and the religious right knows what it means--no more Roe. On gays, say you're against marriage--but for heaven's sake don't use phrases like "sanctity of the family": that won't work for you. Guns: you're against them in the cities but for them in rural areas. We do need to explain how this works; won't people just bring them into the cities? On your political pedigree, the RFK thing is fine; just claim you admired him because he was tough on crime. Reagan: well, you worked for him in the Justice Department, he was a great President; never get into a discussion of why you criticized him. On this, and on your endorsement of liberal icon Mario Cuomo, you may have to admit a mistake. I know you never make mistakes; but tactically the admission might help, given that after Bush's stubbornness people want a President who can own up when he has to. (JFK, the brother of your one-time hero, had his highest approval rating, over 80%, when he took responsibility for the failure of the Bay of Pigs.)

Rock number two: the family deal. It's not just the three marriages--and avoid wherever possible explaining that the first time, you didn't know you were marrying your second cousin, or whatever she was. That's a little incredible; how did the guests decide what side of the Church to sit on? And it would have been better if your second wife hadn't found out you were divorcing her from a press conference. We can probably live with this--after all, 9/11 makes up for a lot, but we can't have your son attacking you anymore in the press as a failed husband and father. It won't work to say that you missed his high school graduation because he didn't want you there. That just leads to a lot of other questions. So get the kid on-side whatever it takes. He can concentrate on his budding golf career, but we can't afford to have him bean you again. . .

Rock number three: the deals, while you were Mayor and in your consulting business afterwards. We have to know all the facts now so we can decide how to handle it. Was your police commissioner Bernie Kerik, the man Bush nominated for Secretary of Homeland Security and then withdrew because he was an ethical mess, just one bad apple? Who gave you political contributions--and got what in return? Your opponents will find out so we have to be prepared. And what about the post-Mayoral years: What did you get paid and from whom did you get it? What foreign governments, what corporations? I hope there's no Halliburton. . .

As I've said, 9/11 is your strong suit. Don't push your Mayoral record too hard. You were nowhere with voters in the City before the terrorist attack and a poll just showed that New Yorkers clearly prefer Mike Bloomberg as President over you. But the crime stuff will work. No one will pay much attention to the argument that all the extra police were hired by your predecessor, David Dinkins. . .

So you're in the lead; you have the halo of 9/11 (thank God, Bush flew around that day so the media could concentrate on you). It was a defining moment that brought you back from political irrelevance and may take you to the White House. But it's probably not enough. You have a personal story--which is problematical. So in the next stage of this race, get some policies. Borrow them--and never admit it. You didn't mind doing that with Dinkins' cops. Maybe you could kidnap Romney's health care plan or give some big think speeches on foreign policy. There has to be something under the halo.

Honestly, the fact that you are the front-runner is a testament to Republican desperation. They--I mean we--apparently want to win even if that means overlooking the ideological offenses that would disqualify you for the nomination in other years. You have to look like "America's President"--flawed but strong, someone who can safeguard this country in a dangerous world--while the rest of us on the campaign make the case that you can widen the playing field for Republicans, putting states like New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania up for grabs. A recent poll in New Jersey showed you beating Hillary Clinton. The party may hold its conservative nose if it decides you're the only way to hold the White House. . .