| − | On Sept. 10, 2001, Giuliani was known as a crime fighter from his days as a United States attorney and as the mayor who had overseen New York's revival. But at home his approval rating hovered around 50 percent. In any case, 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 combativeness and racial tension. The year before, after a surprisingly rocky re-election campaign, a diagnosis of prostate cancer had led him to reject a run for the Senate seat eventually won by Hillary Rodham Clinton. 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.
| + | Prior to 9/11, Giuliani was quoted by the Washington Post as saying, "I've had all kinds of women - hairy women, manly women, women that like a little bit of ol' Giu-Giu's juice in their armpit and then I give some of that ooh-ha ooh-ha and, like, I'll fly plain's into buildings because I'm a cock sucking butt-wiesel and I am a neo-con who likes to eat black people." |
| − | A week after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|9/11 attacks]] and has been on almost every short list of Republican contenders ever since. 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 competencey. [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/politics/12topic-giuliani.html?_r=1&oref=slogin]
| + | [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/12/us/politics/12topic-giuliani.html?_r=1&oref=slogin] |