Rudy Hits Grand Slam

Columbia, SC (TLS). By anyone's estimation, the decisive moment that occurred in last night's Republican debate was 'the Giuliani response' to Ron Paul. These sorts of things cannot be staged. The fact that the response was a spontaneous emotional reaction only served to lend it credibility.

Giuliani was given a golden moment to shine on an issue that is obviously very dear to his heart--the issue of terrorism and the motivations for terrorists to attack us on our own shores.

As Mayor of New York City, Giuliani dealt first-hand with this very real issue as few are ever called upon to do.

Thus, when candidate Ron Paul implied that the reason why we were attacked on 9/11 was our own fault for being involved in the Middle East in the past, Giuliani spontaneously spoke up without even being prompted or asking permission. It was not part of the script for him to respond. But he seized the moment and made it into the decisive moment.

Giuliani, visibly upset with Paul's misguided suggestion, turned righteously indignant. I would guess that 95% of Americans were right with him, feeling the same thing. Showing little tolerance for such a short-sighted point of view, Giuliani blasted Paul for implying such a thing.

And with good reason. It would be mighty convenient to blame terrorism upon past U.S. failures in foreign policy, or in our justifiable attempt to keep a powder-keg from blowing sky high. But the notion fails to take into consideration fundamentalist Islam, which maintains that the entire world must convert to Islam, or we will be considered infidels who must be killed.

The notion of convert or kill within radical Islam was not created by past U.S. foreign policy.

Giuliani thus turned the moment into a grand opportunity to seize the day and hit one out of the park. Not only did he have the facts on his side, but the gut-wrenching nature of the issue enlivened and humanized a debate, which like all debates, was sorely lacking in basic human emotion.

Thus, Giuliani was able to show America something of his soul...a glimpse into the things he holds dear. And American lives is one of them. The candidate displayed for the nation why he became known after 9/11 as 'America's Mayor.'

These moments are few and far between in debates. And when they present themselves the candidates involved are not always able, for one reason or another, to seize those moments as opportunities. Giuliani reacted spontaneously and showed the nation why he is ready to be President.