Topic category:  Other/General

Rudy Giuliani seems to have pretty much wrapped up the Republican presidential nomination.  No conservatives truly dislike him, even if they may disagree with him on issues.  All conservatives want to win in 2008, especially if Hillary is the Democrat nominee, and Rudy seems like a favorite to beat Hillary.  This concern will move from important to critical if Republicans look to remain in the minority in both houses of Congress, and it will move from critical to desperate if Democrats come within striking distance of a filibuster proof Senate.

So who could help Rudy win the most and who would be the candidates which conservatives would most want to be their standard bearer after Rudy leaves the White House?  A few years ago, our cup overfloweth:  there were Republican governors and Republican senators in abundance who were popular, key state politicians, acceptable to conservatives:  John Engler, Tommy Thompson, Rick Santorum, John Ashcroft, George Allen, Fred Thompson, Frank Keating and others.

Since then, many of those have lost elections, many of those have taken themselves out of the running, and all of them have aged.  My favorite – for the top of the ticket – remains Fred Thompson, who is a conservative with a very strong chance of winning.  But unless Thompson shows some interest soon, the race will be pretty much over.  McCain simply is not liked or trusted by conservatives, although he is, on paper, more conservative than Giuliani.  Romney is running too far behind the pack and has too little real conservative enthusiasm.

One way Rudy could spice up the value of his running mate would be to take a one term pledge.  He would probably not do that, but he might.  Fighting global terrorism is, undoubtedly, the motivating factor in his run:  Rudy will remember 9-11 after all the rest of us have forgotten it.  Winning that war, or putting us on track to win it, will probably not take another ten years.  Total victory will come decades from now, but the tipping point, the El Alamein, the Battle of Midway, the Normandy Invasion – all these will come in the next few years, when the nuclear threats of Iran and North Korea and the new generation of free Iraqis will inevitably move the momentum toward the good guys (N.B. Pelosi and Reid:  the good guys are “us.”)

I have to favorites who are not even being mentioned now.   Representative Mario Diaz-Barlat of Florida is a very articulate Hispanic Floridian with a perfect pro-life record and a lifetime ACU rating of 94%.  He is a true blue conservative.  He is also young, handsome and would be the first Hispanic running mate (who could run his own commericials on Hispanic radio stations throughout the nation.)

If not Representative Diaz-Barlat, how about a real dark horse:  someone who has been married to the same woman for many years, someone truly loved by the troops in our military, someone who hunts all the time (but not at elitist places), someone who a few years ago was perhaps the most popular man in America, someone who lived in Iran for a number of years, someone who knows Iraq as well as any American leaders, someone whose handling of Iraq all parties agreed was perfect, someone whose son is named “Christian,” someone who has been completely out of politics, but someone whose very presence – must like Rudy – command instant respect and likeability?

How about General Norman Schwarzkopf?  Is he a Republican?  Well, he supported the reelection of President Bush very strongly and his social and political views all sound strongly conservative.  Let him run with Rudy without part affliliation, if he wants.  That might do more to draw undecided or swing voters to Rudy than anything else. 

Would social conservatives accept him?  Probably they would enthusiastically accept him:  a man who has been married to the same woman his whole life, a man who names his son “Christian,” a man who absolutely values integrity and character above all else, a man about whom not a hint of scandal has ever been mentioned. 

What would this ticket bring to the American people?  The mayor of America, a man who knows how to fight terrorism, understands our criminal justice system, and can get people to work together to solve dangerous problems, and right beside him a military man who knows Iraq inside out and know how to fight and win their with few casualties, a man who also knows Iran very well, having lived their for years, and would be the perfect general to intimidate Iran into becoming a decent nation or the perfect general to methodically dismantled the power of the mullahs, to their vast embarrassment, while their Hitlerite president promised a “mother of all battles.” 

These two very likeable, very bright and very accomplished men may be the best selling and best peforming people on earth to do what needs to be done the next ten years.  If Schwarzkopf would run, he would be a real winner – for America and for the world.

Bruce Walker

Biography - Bruce Walker

Bruce Walker has been a published author in print and in electronic media since 1990. He is a regular contributor to WebCommentary, Conservative Truth, American Daily, Enter Stage Right, Intellectual Conservative, NewsByUs and MenÕs News Daily. His first book, Sinisterism: Secular Religion of the Lie by Outskirts Press was published in January 2006.