US Presidential Election Candidates

His '9/11 campaign' seems to have ensured Rudy Giuliani's position at the top of opinion polls for the most likely Republican candidate for Presidentship in the 2008 elections. September 11 apart, Giuliani has other things going for him. His term as mayor of New York is notable for ridding the city of crime. His hardliner approach, involving strict crackdowns on offences major and minor, saw crime rates dropping. (Whether this owed entirely to his mayorship, is debated.) While he drew criticism for being politically incorrect and aiming at ethnic groups, his supporters say he did what was necessary to control the rampant crime rates that existed in New York.

However, a frequent shift in stance in a politician is, and should always be, cause for concern. Earlier Giuliani had always been a strong supporter of gun control. In fact, during his stint as mayor of New York, in 2000, he had filed a lawsuit to make gun manufacturers liable for gun crimes. Now he has radically changed his position on guns.

Speaking to the National Rifle Association (NRA), Giuliani says his views on gun control changed after September 11 (yes, 9/11 again). He said the tragedy helped him appreciate the provisions of the Second Amendment that give citizens the right to arm themselves.

Explaining his earlier stand as being part of his effort to curb crime (an approach, he claims, helped to produce results), Giuliani now says he believes in stricter enforcement against gun crimes rather than creating newer legislation. "We need to have zero tolerance for crime committed with a gun. After all, it's people that commit crimes, not guns," he says.