America's Mayor: Rudolph Giuliani

America's Mayor and Hero of 9/11: Rudy Giuliani has thrown his hat in the ring for his party's 2008 nomination for President of the United States. It looks like Giuliani will be in a tightly contested race with Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). But some say is views on social issues could hurt him and the conservative sect of the GOP.

In his first swing through Iowa, Giuliani acknowledged his views on social issues could hurt him, but a dozen cameras and a throng of reporters trailed Giuliani as he toured a neighborhood that activists are working to revitalize using some of the same methods the former New York City mayor implemented to clean-up the Big Apple, "I am who I am and people have to evaluate the whole record," Giuliani told reporters after a muddy walking-tour of a Cedar Rapids neighborhood. "I believe I'm the strongest fiscal conservative in this race. I am against abortion, I think it's wrong, but ultimately I believe it's an individual choice."

His strategy will be to capitalize on his status as a tough and plain-talking hero of Sept. 11, 2001. He believes, say advisers, that his tough views on national security -- he supports the USA Patriot Act -- and on Iraq, where he opposes withdrawal of troops, will overshadow his liberal social views. He has a core of socially liberal positions -- he also supports domestic partnerships for same-sex couples, although not marriage Some Gop members think it would be a waste of Republican money to even back Giuliani in the Primaries. He does not believe in "discrimination against gays," but said now is not the time to question the military's 'don't ask, don't tell' policy, in an interview with CNN's Dana Bash. "I think the policy that we have right now, we should leave alone," Giuliani said. "We are in a time of war. When we get out of the crisis, when we get out of the situation, we can consistently review it and look at it-- but it shouldn't be done right now," he added. "It would be a very big mistake to re-raise that issue right now when we are dealing not just with Iraq, but this entire war on terror.

The GOP presidential candidate also said it's not his place to judge whether homosexuality is immoral. When it comes to Gay marriage, the candidate had addresses the issue by saying, "Unlike what some of my opponents have said, I'm not in favor of gay marriage," he said. "I have consistently said marriage should be between a man and a woman. I do think that people who have a sexual orientation one kind or another should not be discriminated against." It had been reported that Giuliani was in favor of gay marriage, but he's not; he however, supports gay union.

Another important issue in this election as in all, will be ; Abortion, women Rights. Again, One that will likely put the GOP presidential candidate at odds with social conservatives in his party, but an issue that he has never wavered on."There must be Federally funded abortions for poor women." But the presidential candidate reiterated his personal opposition to the practice. But the presidential candidate reiterated his personal opposition to the practice. "I'm in the same position now that I was 12 years ago when I ran for mayor -- which is, personally opposed to abortion, don't like it, hate it, would advise that woman to have an adoption rather than abortion, hope to find the money for it," he said. "But it is your choice, an individual right. You get to make that choice, and I don't think society should be putting you in jail."

The socially liberal Republican faces a difficult campaign. They question whether a Republican who has had one marriage end in annulment and another in divorce, and favors abortion rights, gun control and immigrant rights, has much retail appeal in the evangelical and deeply conservative reaches of the GOP. "If the Republican Party wants to send the social conservatives home for good, all they have to do is nominate Rudy Giuliani," said Rick Scarborough, a Southern Baptist minister and president of Vision America. "It's an insult to the pro-Christian agenda. . . ."

Some might say Giuliani is the mast well-rounded candidate that the American people have seen in quite some time. He's a crime fighter and a tax and welfare cutter. He campaigned for George W. Bush in 2000 and staked out unyielding positions on Iraq -- he said recently that withdrawing soon from Iraq "would be a terrible mistake." He also disputed the recent findings of the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan commission of elder statesmen, that concluded that untangling the Israeli-Palestinian knot is central to achieving a broader Middle East peace. Giuliani seems to be a liberal wrapped in a tough Republican persona. But if Giuliani wins his party's nomination, we could see a change, as the tough old party boss's start to pull the strings of, "America's Mayor."