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==September 11 Terrorist Attacks==

==September 11 Terrorist Attacks==

On Sept. 10, 2001, Giuliani was known as a crime fighter; his approval rating hovered around 50 percent. He was a [[lame duck]], barred by term limits from seeking re-election, in a city that in any case felt increasingly worn out by eight years of his combative style. And while his supporters talked of a presidential bid, the prospect seemed a long shot for a Republican who supported abortion rights and restrictions on gun sales.  

[[Image:Rudy_Giulianipersonoftheyear.jpg|thumb|300px|]]  On Sept. 10, 2001, Giuliani was known as a crime fighter; his approval rating hovered around 50 percent. He was a [[lame duck]], barred by term limits from seeking re-election, in a city that in any case felt increasingly worn out by eight years of his combative style. And while his supporters talked of a presidential bid, the prospect seemed a long shot for a Republican who supported abortion rights and restrictions on gun sales.  

A week after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11 attacks]], due to his almost universally acclaimed leadership in the aftermath of that tragedy, his approval rating hovered at nearly 80%. Since then he has been on almost every short list of Republican contenders. In his talks, Giuliani uses Sept. 11 to make two points. The first is that he has proven himself to be a leader, and having a proven leader in these troubled times, he tells audiences, is more important than whether you agree with everything he stands for. The other is that his handling of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks proved his competency. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/politics/12topic-giuliani.html?_r=1&oref=slogin</ref>

A week after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11 attacks]], due to his almost universally acclaimed leadership in the aftermath of that tragedy, his approval rating hovered at nearly 80%. Since then he has been on almost every short list of Republican contenders. In his talks, Giuliani uses Sept. 11 to make two points. The first is that he has proven himself to be a leader, and having a proven leader in these troubled times, he tells audiences, is more important than whether you agree with everything he stands for. The other is that his handling of the aftermath of the terrorist attacks proved his competency. <ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/politics/12topic-giuliani.html?_r=1&oref=slogin</ref>

Giuliani ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2008. He repeatedly talked about his mayoral achievements, losing the attention of many supporters.<ref>"A Biography Of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani" The City of New York Office of the Mayor [http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/bio.html];  See also[http://www.time.com/time/poy2001/ "Time's 2001 Person of the Year Rudy Giuliani"]</ref> After the [[John McCain]] campaign apparently collapsed in mid 2007, Giuliani took the lead in national polls until December 2007, when he began to fall behind other candidates.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-192.html#polls</ref>  

Giuliani ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2008. He repeatedly talked about his mayoral achievements, losing the attention of many supporters.<ref>"A Biography Of Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani" The City of New York Office of the Mayor [http://www.nyc.gov/html/records/rwg/html/bio.html];  See also[http://www.time.com/time/poy2001/ "Time's 2001 Person of the Year Rudy Giuliani"]</ref> After the [[John McCain]] campaign apparently collapsed in mid 2007, Giuliani took the lead in national polls until December 2007, when he began to fall behind other candidates.<ref>http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/republican_presidential_nomination-192.html#polls</ref>  

Downplaying his moderate views on abortion, gun control and immigration, Giuliani emphasized his heroic leadership of New York City after 9-11, as well as his cutting crime in the city and his hard-line stance against terrorism. Although he campaigned vigorously, he was so focused on his own record in New York that he did not make contact with what the voters were interested in. Worse, he could not shake off charges of corruption. He lost most of his support in the last two months of 2007. He won only 3.5% of voters in Iowa; 8.5% in New Hampshire; 2.8% in Michigan; 4.3% in Nevada and 2.1% in South Carolina. Pulling out of other states, he concentrated all his efforts in a losing battle for Florida, where he ran third with a mere 15%. Analysts noted the more voters saw of Giuliani, the fewer supported him.<ref>Matthew Continetti, "The Giuliani Implosion: From frontrunner to also-ran in eight short weeks," [http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/584edbsw.asp ''The Weekly Standard'' Jan. 21, 2008]; Justin Wolfers, "How Rudy's Bet Went Wrong," [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120111080410210391.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy ''Wall Street Journal'' Jan. 23, 2008]; Michael Powell and Michael Cooper, "For Giuliani, a Dizzying Free-Fall", [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/politics/30giuliani.html?ref=politics ''New York Times'' Jan. 30, 2008]</ref>

Downplaying his moderate views on abortion, gun control and immigration, Giuliani emphasized his heroic leadership of New York City after 9-11, as well as his cutting crime in the city and his hard-line stance against terrorism. Although he campaigned vigorously, he was so focused on his own record in New York that he did not make contact with what the voters were interested in. Worse, he could not shake off charges of corruption. He lost most of his support in the last two months of 2007. He won only 3.5% of voters in Iowa; 8.5% in New Hampshire; 2.8% in Michigan; 4.3% in Nevada and 2.1% in South Carolina. Pulling out of other states, he concentrated all his efforts in a losing battle for Florida, where he ran third with a mere 15%. Analysts noted the more voters saw of Giuliani, the fewer supported him.<ref>Matthew Continetti, "The Giuliani Implosion: From frontrunner to also-ran in eight short weeks," [http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/584edbsw.asp ''The Weekly Standard'' Jan. 21, 2008]; Justin Wolfers, "How Rudy's Bet Went Wrong," [http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120111080410210391.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy ''Wall Street Journal'' Jan. 23, 2008]; Michael Powell and Michael Cooper, "For Giuliani, a Dizzying Free-Fall", [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/30/us/politics/30giuliani.html?ref=politics ''New York Times'' Jan. 30, 2008]</ref>