http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx Add Rudy Giuliani to the list of Republican presidential candidates speaking at the Conservative Political Action Committee's annual conference next week.  Also speaking: former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Sen. Sam Brownback,en-USCommunityServer 2.0 (Build: 60608.1)http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70126Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:46:57 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70126M.E., Albany, Ga."campaign playbook appears to have leaked to the press". "a leaked memo by a Romney advisor".drip, drip, drip Think they're gonna call a "White House plumber" for help?http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70219Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:43:34 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70219Bob, OrlandoOK, let's look at these guys, McCain, the former maverick, is now positioning himself as the war candidate and heir apparent, Romney, the former social liberal from Massachusetts, is now attempting to position himself as the born again social conservative. Giuliani, well, being Mayor of NYC on 9-11 and cleaning up Time Square is not sufficient reason to consider him qualified to be President of the US. His popularity will wane the more people find out about his record as mayor, his stand on social issues, and his abrasive personality. Huckabee, Brownbeck?... too conservative to attract mainstream support. This is how I see the Republican contenders and would like to hear how others see them. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70253Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:05:44 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70253The Edge, Macon, GABring back Bob Dole...the repubs need some of his Charisma...or viagra, I forget which......http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70263Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:10:43 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70263S Largo, fl.When is the media gonna discuss Guiliani marrying his first cousin and cheating on his wife and flaunting his mistress in front of everyone and all his womanizing that Clinton was crucified for?http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70270Tue, 27 Feb 2007 17:17:20 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70270Ryan, MichiganBob - As I think I have posted here before, Giuliani's biggest test will be the nomination. In a national election it is looking like he is going to be very tough to beat. I think he has a pretty good record as mayor, pre 9/11. McCain is basically hanging himself. At this point, which I know is early, I actually see him dropping out of the race. Despite all of his overly obvious attempts to woo social conservatives they don't buy it. Even after being told about Giuliani's stand on social issues social conservatives are still perferring Giuliani over McCain. Which has to just break McCain's heart because he is probably the most conservative of the top 3 and yet that part of the Republican party still can't stomach him. Romney has flipped and flopped way to much. That, not his mormonism, will be his downfall, in my opinion. I think that Huckabee, Brownback, Torcendo, and Paul just don't have enough of a backing to be taken seriously. They are probably running for VP at this point. I think we might all be surprised as to how popular Giuliani is amongst people who qualify themselves as a social conservative. It will be interesting to watch. He is the Republicans best hope for winning the White House in '08 and that may just be enough to get the religious right to go along with Rudy.http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70357Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:35:52 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70357Darren Pope, SCI would think most liberals would be happy that some of these guys are running in '08. It almost assures them that a lib will be in the White House. As for Huckabee and Brownback, too conservative? The wind is blowing to the right my friend, most Americans outside of the northeast and the left coast don't agree with the Democratic Party on most issues other than the Iraq war. Don't read into lack of support for the war in Iraq a left-wing revolution. It's just not happening. Most people I know who don't support Bush say it's because he's not conservative enough. The border will be one of the top issues of concern for Americans in '08 and I don't see any liberals or moderates addressing it at all. Watch as candidates like Tom Tancredo and Mike Huckabee gain a lot of support from "mainstream" Americans. Of course, the GOP and the DEMS will slap them down with vicious personal attacks, the left-wing media will pay no attention to them and in the end we'll get a president who wants to continue to give our nation away. A world without borders is where we're headed and the death of America is immenent. Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave....http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70364Tue, 27 Feb 2007 18:41:32 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70364Joe, Los AngelesBob, Orlando-I agree with your assessment...Guilani will repeat 9/11 about a trillion times which will hold water only for so long and he can't run on his entire mayorship, McCain and Romney are changing colors more than a chameleon. And the rest are too conservative for the US mainstream. If November 2006 was any indicator of the American people then the Republicans might be careful who they put out there or they will get their clocks cleaned again in 2008. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70416Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:24:33 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70416Amy B Portland ME"The wind is blowing to the right my friend," er, what were the results of the '06 Congressioal race again? I'm sure all your friends are more conservative than Bush, Darren, just as all my friends are to the left of Hillary (except my Libertarian brother, that nut). Truth is, its the Independents who call the shots and they always vote against which ever party is currently screwing up, presently the Republicans. I say, '08 is the year of a Democratic victory. I hope its President Clark.http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70422Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:31:13 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70422Robert Catalano, Salem, ORDarren, is that wind you're feeling in South Carolina tinged with some of the nuclear (gee, I can say it correctly) waste planted all over the state, or is it the ghost of Strom Thurmond's ancestors saying, "Al Sharpton? ya'll must be crazy!!!"http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70426Tue, 27 Feb 2007 19:34:41 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70426Scott in South TexasRyan, Ron Paul is my congressman, which means I don't have a congressman. You are right that he shouldn't be taken seriously, and when he ran as an independent he was disregarded as a wacko. Then he put (R) behind his name, and he was elected, and re-elected, and re-elected. The only thing that changed about him was his branding, which apparently made all the difference for a majority of the folks around here. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70500Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:22:40 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70500Citizen of Rome (the lying years)"the wind is blowing to the right..." I think you have that confused with "the right blows." America is sick of the lack of vision and unending lies. Wait until they find out about the treason.http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70508Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:25:12 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70508Not a LibJoe LA It's interesting that Rudy seems to be talking about everything but 9-11 the ones that are talking about it the most are you liberals. Go figure.http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#70552Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:52:54 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:70552Bob, OrlandoAll...thanks for voicing your opinions in a positive manner, unlike many who post on First Read. Ryan, I agree that Giuliani is the GOP's strongest candidate but also agree with Joe's assessment of him. I just don't get what it is that makes him attractive to so many, if it were not for 9-11, we would not even be talking about him. And Darren, you are correct. You would consider me a liberal and I would have supported the old Romney but I feel the new Romney is insincere. I used to have alot of respect for "McCain the Maverick" but that has eroded as he panders to the social conservatives. It's hard to say where Romney and McCain really stand on the social issues. If I was a Republican I would be extremely unhappy with my choices at this point. And, as a Democrat, the choices really aren't much better, except for Richardson who, although he has my vote, doesn't seem to have much of a chance as things stand now. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#72584Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:03:23 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:72584M. E., Albany, Ga.Bob- "If I was a Republican I would be extremely unhappy with my choices." "And, as a Democrat, the choices really aren't much better..". I agree. I feel like that child who had his nose pressed to the window of a candy store for so long, looking in from the outside to make choices, but not having the luxury to go inside. I've been turned loose "inside" the store now, and find out I have more choices than I could see from the window outside. I find out now that I have the "choice" of white chocolate or dark chocolate. Also have the choice of whether I want "nuts" or not. With all the variety, I'm excited at this point, but have learned better than to gorge myself on any of it. Think I'll just hang around the sample counter, and wait on the cook to bring a fresh batch of choices from the kitchen. While waiting, some of the candy I've already looked at may become stale, and that will narrow my choices. I'm excited, but patient. The store just opened earlier than I expected.http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#72947Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:15:57 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:72947M.E., Albany, Ga.Bob- One more thought on our choices this time "at bat". Any choice I make this early is going to be tentative. My final decision will be based on who the Veep choices are. After Cheney, I will take more than a perfunctory look at who is second in line. We aren't out of the woods yet with this administration. Cheney is "still second in line". Makes me shudder when I think about what could still be in store for us. That said, some of us here don't have the luxury of a lot more turns in the voting booth to get it right. I want to "hit a homerun" this time. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#72995Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:37:50 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:72995Danielle SmithToday, a Mitt Romney Presidential Strategy Memo obtained by the Boston Globe enlists a litany of pros and cons of a Romney candidature. It cast a subjective comparison between Romney and his chief competitors for the Republican National Nominations. It declares Romney as the future, banishes Arizona Senator John McCain as a forgotten past, and ridicules Giuliani as the present. What's so striking about the Memo isn't much on the perceived enemies or the mere brandings that clatter every space within the memo, but the utter implications it spells as the course the Mitt campaign is willing to take. And in Mitt Romney's campaign, we don't see a "strong leader outside Washington" as the memo asserts, but a campaign all too much scheming to employ negative campaigns that have been the hallmark of many Washington politics and are being shun by contemporary politicians. The 77-Slide memo lists his subscription to the Mormon faith as one issue he should be wide alert when addressing...underscoring the profound role religion might play in national politics. It might eventually come to pass that Mitt Romney will loose a lot of Christian conservative votes due to his Mormon faith....but for all intents and purposes, they should not give the faith much attention as they seem to. Mr. Romney might as well lose a substantial Mormon vote from hid religion's adherents who might perceive him as being so much ashamed of his faith that he feels uneasy to discuss it as a pro. Through out the memo, we see a campaign team bent all to much on petty issues like much hair and ignoring the most important issues that are currently facing our nation. And before i forget, hair politics is always a politics of a failure. Remember the John Kerry and John Edwards campaign based on salon matters, remember how it failed even to Mr. Bush. That's the fundamental devastating effects of petty politics when the nation is embroiled in a controversial war in Iraq. Romney should have know this before boasting about his hair. His team should have highlighted strategies that they needed to employ to help bring our troops home jubilantly. But they began to discuss laundry issues as if Romney is asking America out for a date. We don't care how ugly he looks, all we care about is a leader who can deliver on important pivotal issues now facing our nation. Mr. Romney just lost a vote. Actually, now that i think about it, Mr. Romney might have lost lots of votes to a campaign whose strategy is sketched over 77-slides....yeah 77 slides! They are just a bunch of losers. I mean 77 slides is way too many slides to declare their campaign strategy. Well, in the number of slides, we can now understand why Romney might as well be running a failing campaign. And, finally, who leaked the memo and why? In have a great deal of suspicion that it was an inside job or, should i say, a campaign strategy meant to prop Mitt within the national news and improve his popularity! http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#73001Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:39:24 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:73001Danielle Smith, Overland Park, KsToday, a Mitt Romney Presidential Strategy Memo obtained by the Boston Globe enlists a litany of pros and cons of a Romney candidature. It cast a subjective comparison between Romney and his chief competitors for the Republican National Nominations. It declares Romney as the future, banishes Arizona Senator John McCain as a forgotten past, and ridicules Giuliani as the present. What's so striking about the Memo isn't much on the perceived enemies or the mere brandings that clatter every space within the memo, but the utter implications it spells as the course the Mitt campaign is willing to take. And in Mitt Romney's campaign, we don't see a "strong leader outside Washington" as the memo asserts, but a campaign all too much scheming to employ negative campaigns that have been the hallmark of many Washington politics and are being shun by contemporary politicians. The 77-Slide memo lists his subscription to the Mormon faith as one issue he should be wide alert when addressing...underscoring the profound role religion might play in national politics. It might eventually come to pass that Mitt Romney will loose a lot of Christian conservative votes due to his Mormon faith....but for all intents and purposes, they should not give the faith much attention as they seem to. Mr. Romney might as well lose a substantial Mormon vote from hid religion's adherents who might perceive him as being so much ashamed of his faith that he feels uneasy to discuss it as a pro. Through out the memo, we see a campaign team bent all to much on petty issues like much hair and ignoring the most important issues that are currently facing our nation. And before i forget, hair politics is always a politics of a failure. Remember the John Kerry and John Edwards campaign based on salon matters, remember how it failed even to Mr. Bush. That's the fundamental devastating effects of petty politics when the nation is embroiled in a controversial war in Iraq. Romney should have know this before boasting about his hair. His team should have highlighted strategies that they needed to employ to help bring our troops home jubilantly. But they began to discuss laundry issues as if Romney is asking America out for a date. We don't care how ugly he looks, all we care about is a leader who can deliver on important pivotal issues now facing our nation. Mr. Romney just lost a vote. Actually, now that i think about it, Mr. Romney might have lost lots of votes to a campaign whose strategy is sketched over 77-slides....yeah 77 slides! They are just a bunch of losers. I mean 77 slides is way too many slides to declare their campaign strategy. Well, in the number of slides, we can now understand why Romney might as well be running a failing campaign. And, finally, who leaked the memo and why? In have a great deal of suspicion that it was an inside job or, should i say, a campaign strategy meant to prop Mitt within the national news and improve his popularity! http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/02/27/70106.aspx#76241Thu, 01 Mar 2007 19:47:33 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:76241jtbCitizen of Rome: that Was funny. even if I disagree with it, it was still a great zinger.