Giuliani on aliens, the E.T. kind
Posted: Sunday, October 14, 2007 6:25 PM by Chuck Todd
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
Rudy Giuliani looked to take the high road in a simmering debate about Republican bona fides while touting his record as a fiscal conservative in New Hampshire Sunday. And, he said he'd keep this nation safe, even if an attack came from outer space.
Giuliani started his day with a visit to a diner in Portsmouth, where he sampled a bagel and some coffee and mingled with patrons. Asked by reporters afterward about the back-and-forth over GOP credentials, Giuliani noted his record as mayor of New York and said he had "the strongest results." "Honestly I have the only results," he said. "I'm the only one who reduced taxes. ... I'm the one who supported the Bush tax cuts from the very, very beginning."
Giuliani went on to say that the question of who is the best Republican is for the voters to decide. "And then let's make sure we pick someone who can beat the Democrats," he said. "That's what it's all about. ... Let's have a constructive primary." He added that he thought the rhetoric in the Democratic primary lately "seems to be a little bit stronger than our guys seem to be using."
Later, at a town hall meeting in Exeter, Giuliani noted that all of the Republican candidates are promising to lower taxes. "But here's the difference. I'm the one who's actually done it," he said. "I actually did it so many times that there's a dispute over how many times I lowered taxes."
Turning to the Democrats, Giuliani criticized Hillary Clinton for her statement that she has so many ideas, "the country can't afford them all." "The real question is, can the country afford any of it?" Giuliani said.
Toward the end of the forum, Giuliani took a question from a young audience member, who asked if he had a plan if there was something "living on another planet and it's bad and it comes over here." Giuliani smiled, shook his hand, and noted he's never faced such a question before. "We'll be prepared for anything that happens," Giuliani said.
