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Rudolph Guiliani will forever be remembered for his quick action and words of comfort as mayor of New York City following the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001. His role in the aftermath of such a devastating attack, an attack that quickly redefined American foreign policy, gave him the name "America's Mayor". Unfortunately, Guiliani has no experience politically above the level of mayor, which leaves him standing on a foreign affairs policy that is a remnant of his bold "fight the terrorists" stance from his mayoral stint. Again and again, Guiliani refers to his actions on September 11 to cover-up his lack of knowledge or experience concerning foreign affairs.

Guiliani's efforts in rebuilding NYC deserve merit. His work in domestic efforts, especially education and crime, are also worthy of commendation and recognition. But none of these efforts, even with September 11, have adequately prepared Guiliani to properly build a policy concerning issues on an international level.

The Rudy2008 campaign website tries to outline some of Guiliani's foreign policy stances, but stop short of anything other than Iraq and terrorism, and even these still manage to come back to the one thing Guiliani knows concerning international politics, September 11. No mention is made of Israel or other Middle-Eastern nations, Darfur, immigration, Chechnya, or our strained relationships with France and Russia.

His stance with regard to the War on Terror is a staunchly conservative one, asserting the idea that the United States did not start the war. Instead, he claims, the war was started by the very terrorists that have targeted Americans for years. He also continues to show his loyalty to President Bush with the no-timetable, "stay the course" attitude towards our involvement with Iraq.

While Guiliani is a commendable candidate for President of the United States, especially considering his wonderful track record in the judicial circuits and as mayor of NYC, it should be noted that his lack of service on the national stage (Senate, House, Governor, etc) leaves him with little foreign affairs experience. His stance sounds similar to that he proclaimed in the aftermath of September 11 and calls for a powerful American sphere of influence in combating terrorism and in creating a stable Iraq.

Learn more about this author, Joshua Horn.
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