Although he has yet to file as a candidate, Rudy Giuliani consistently ranks at the top of every poll measuring the appeal of potential Republican presidential candidates. That has caused some consternation on the Right, as Giuliani is quite liberal in his social views.

But aside from Sam Brownback, there is not a social conservative among the suspected Republican primary candidates that would fully satisfy Focus on the Family. And there's a lot more for conservatives, like myself, to worry about in 2008 other than if the new president is going to be a pro-life activist. Like electability.

For what it's worth, I think that Giuliani would be neutral on social issues from the White House, other than supporting conservative choices for the Supreme Court. In that case, any conservative judge worth appointing to the highest court in the land is probably going to be pro-life anyway. But it's probably a given that Giuliani won't be crafting any anti-abortion legislation with Mitch McConnell anytime soon.

Therefore, in evaluating Giulinani's conservative credentials it's necessary to get beyond the social issues and look at how he'd govern. And for that we have an excellent article in the Winter 2007 issue of City Journal by Steven Malanga titled Yes, Rudy Giuliani Is a Conservative. From the article:

Giuliani may be the most conservative candidate on a wide range of issues. Far from being a liberal, he ran New York with a conservative's priorities: government exists above all to keep people safe in their homes and in the streets, he said, not to redistribute income, run a welfare state, or perform social engineering. The private economy, not government, creates opportunity, he argued; government should just deliver basic services well and then get out of the private sector's way. He denied that cities and their citizens were victims of vast forces outside their control, and he urged New Yorkers to take personal responsibility for their lives. "Over the last century, millions of people from all over the world have come to New York City," Giuliani once observed. "They didn't come here to be taken care of and to be dependent on city government. They came here for the freedom to take care of themselves." It was that spirit of opportunity and can-do-ism that Giuliani tried to re-instill in New York and that he himself exemplified not only in the hours and weeks after 9/11 but in his heroic and successful effort to bring a dying city back to life.

All of the electable Republicans have some sort of baggage when it comes to social issues. On all issues combined, I think the two Republicans that stand above the rest as far as qualifications are Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney. I'm not a big fan of John McCain, because I think that apart from his stance on the war, which is admirable, he has proven himself to be a populist more than a Republican. And now that the press has turned against him, I think that he has the potential to pull a Howard Dean -- and let his temper show more frequently.

Plus, McCain's a senator. Senators really don't lead -- they debate and compromise. Which is why no sitting senator has been elected president since John Kennedy (Lyndon Johnson ascended to the presidency, then was elected). It takes a certain type of person to run large businesses, a major city, or a state successfully. It's called tangible experience in leadership and crisis management.

And Giuliani has it.