Opinion: A Giuliani swipe?

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Rudy Giuliani came to the school Pat Roberston built Tuesday and, while deftly avoiding a focus on his differences with social conservatives, he took what some saw as a veiled shot at the candidate who has not yet announced but is gaining in the polls, Fred Thompson.

In a speech at Regent Universityin Virginia Beach, Va., Giuliani began by insisting, ‘I’m not going to give a political speech.’ He then paused and flashed a big smile, since he knows --- and his audience knew --- that anything he says in public these days is a political speech.

The Republican presidential candidate declared that he wanted to reflect upon leadership; as in, what makes a good one (subtext: how he might, just might, fit that bill). He quickly made an intriguing comment, asserting that those who are guided by opinion polls are ‘actors,’ not leaders.

As Newsday’s Tom Brune reports, immediately after Giuliani finished his address, he faced the obvious question: was he making a sly, subtle reference to Thompson, whose anticipated entry into the GOP race was paved more by his acting career than his tenure as a U.S. senator from Tennessee?

Not so, insisted Giuliani. Nonetheless, we expect such speculation will persist, especially if he keeps using that ‘actor’ line on the trail.

As anticipated, Giuliani in his prepared remarks went nowhere near a discussion of the divide between him and religious conservative on such issues as abortion and gay rights. Nor did anyone in the crowd of about 650 people broach these matters during a brief question-and-answer period that followed.

-- Don Frederick