Mark Halperin - The Undecided Voters Guide to the Next President: Who the Candidates Are, Where They Come From, and How You Can Choose

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The Undecided Voters Guide to the Next President

Where the Candidates Come from, What They Believe, and How to Make Your Choice

Mark Halperin

To Karen,
Always ready for every tough challenge,
burst of laughter, and new adventure

CONTENTS

I get the same question all the time: Who will win the 2008 presidential election?

Rarely does anyone ask me, Who would make the best president?

Bill Clinton has described campaigning for president as a job interview, with the application process composed of unrelenting media scrutiny and a grueling coast-to-coast gauntlet of events and debates. Consider these pages a compilation of the references, dossiers, and supporting material for the major applicants, and yourself part of the national hiring committee. The task is not easy. Sometimes the candidate who appears most qualified is not right for the job, and sometimes a rsum does not adequately convey talent or potential. But I hope this book can help you make the best possible choice based on the best available evidence. It may be your only chance to meet all the candidates, compare them side by side, and make an informed decision before the choice is made for you.

The men and woman maneuvering for the White House are an accomplished and fascinating bunch. They include a war hero, a precedent-setting trial lawyer, a famous actor, a billionaire, and a former First Lady. One saved Americas Olympic Games from scandal, another was hailed as a national leader after 9/11. Some grew up with modest means and became self-made millionaires; others were raised in comfort and have become richer still. They are a diverse group, with members of the Mormon and Jewish faiths, an African American, an Italian American, an Hispanic, and a woman. They have written best-selling books, endured personal tragedy, and gotten themselves intoand out ofhot water. Some have already made history in their political careers, and others will have an opportunity to make history if they reach the Oval Office.

They are all impressive, with interesting stories to tell, and enthusiastic supporters to sing their praises. But presidencies evolve in unexpected ways. Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, once in office, followed different executive trajectories than had been signaled during their campaigns, disappointing tens of millions, including many who voted for them. When Clinton and Bush were running for the White House, the focus was often on the external dramas and day-to-day ups and downs of their races. It was difficult to anticipate fully how they would eventually lead the country through the haze of polls, pratfalls, and punditry. In order to assess a potential president, one must look past the clutter to study policy plans and political substance. And it is equally essential to understand the personality behind the record, the spirit animating the rhetoric.

This book will give you a sense of the biographies, careers, and priorities of the candidates competing for 2008. It also will explain and analyze their positions on the most pressing domestic and foreign issues affecting the country. The situation in Iraq and the contours of the war on terror will have an impact on every aspect of the race. How the candidates conduct themselves within that vortex will surely be important. But other policy issuesand the questions of character and readinesswill matter as well.

These pages are based on my nearly twenty years covering presidential elections, roaming the campaign trail, observing and interviewing the candidates, chatting with voters and political strategists, and trying to divine the mood and priorities of the nation. I have also relied on the words of the candidates themselves, as well as on the excellent work of my journalistic colleagues and political research groups.

My chief focus is on the seven people who I believe have the greatest chance to become the nations forty-fourth president. There are also sections about those who are influencing the campaign by participating in the race, by contributing ideas to the public dialogue, or by waiting in the wings, ready to make a hard charge toward the front-runners at a moments notice.

This is the first American presidential election since 1928 in which neither the incumbent president nor the vice president is in the competition. In addition, after twenty consecutive years of presidents named Bush or Clinton, the nation faces a choice about extending the dynastic cycleor not.

Running a presidential race requires energy, ambition, sacrifice, courage, and imagination. Everyone in the presidential field should be commended for their efforts. And in this wide-open 2008 season, there is plenty of time for a candidateeven a trailing oneto win the election by combining good ideas, hard work, and an understanding of what the country needs in a president. Read on to figure out who has the best chance of winning and, more important, who is best suited for the most difficult job in the world.

The Basics

Name: Rudolph William Giuliani

Born: May 28, 1944, Brooklyn, New York

Political party: Republican

Spouse: Judith Stish Giuliani, married May 24, 2003

Children: Andrew, Caroline (with Donna Hanover)

Religion: Roman Catholic

Education: Manhattan College, B.A., 1965

New York University School of Law, J.D., 1968

Career: Law clerk, Southern District, 19681970

Assistant U.S. attorney, Southern District, 19701975

Associate deputy attorney general, 19751977

Partner, Patterson, Belknap Webb & Tyler, 19771981

Associate attorney general, Justice Department, 19811983

U.S. attorney, Southern District of New York, 19831989

Partner, White & Case, 1989

Mayoral candidate, New York City, 1989 (unsuccessful)

Partner, Anderson, Kill, Olick & Oshinsky, 19901993

Mayor, New York City, 19942002

Chairman and CEO, Giuliani Partners, 2002present

Partner, Bracewell & Giuliani, 2005present

Presidential candidate, 2007present

IRAQ WAR

High Priority? Yes No Maybe

Record/Position: Long supported the Bush administrations goals and strategy, but has sometimes been critical of the conduct of the war and the failure to pursue terrorists elsewhere.

Quote: Its unthinkable that you would leave Saddam Hussein in charge of Iraq and be able to fight the war on terror. And the problem is that we see Iraq in a vacuum. Iraq should not be seen in a vacuum. Iraq is part of the overall terrorist war against the United States.

WAR ON TERROR

High Priority? Yes No Maybe

Record/Position: Says it is the number one issue in the election and anticipates a long global battle. Refers often to his record after 9/11 and the terrorists war on us. Has supported aggressive interrogation and investigative tools to combat terror.

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