Breaking the fall

Donald Lambro and Stephen Dinan:

Seeking to regain the voters who have deserted his candidacy in the past month, Rudolph W. Giuliani yesterday delivered what his campaign billed as his sum-up speech for why he's the Republican Party's best choice for presidential nominee next year.

"I've met adversity before. I've led in situations that seemed hopeless and dire, in need of a miracle," he said. "I don't just pray for miracles. I don't just hope for miracles. I expect miracles."

Mr. Giuliani spoke in Tampa, Fla., a telling location. Florida's Jan. 29 primary is shaping up as a must-win for the former New York mayor, who is banking on being able to survive lower finishes in earlier states but win the nomination by prevailing in the big states.

A Rasmussen Reports poll released Friday showed Mr. Giuliani has surrendered the lead in Florida, dropping eight percentage points from last month to hit 19 percent, while Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, has gained 18 percentage points to take the lead at 27 percent.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has risen slightly to capture second place at 23 percent. The other candidates were all in single digits.

"Giuliani's plan was to accept defeats in the early states and come back strong on January 29 in Florida and in many large states on Feb. 5. The latest polling in the state of Florida suggests that Giuliani might need to work on a 'Plan B,' " pollster Scott Rasmussen said.

Judging by yesterday's speech, Mr. Giuliani's plan remains to try to convince Republicans he's the candidate with the best chance to defeat the Democrats' nominee and lead "a revitalized, 50-state Republican Party into the White House."

Mr. Giuliani also adopted the optimistic approach that Mr. Huckabee has used well, saying he hears "a murmur that America somehow has lost the ability to achieve great goals."

"It doesn't have to be that way. We — you and I — can decide America's direction," he said. "We can determine America's future. After all, that's what an election is all about. So let's decide for optimism, not pessimism; for hope, not despair; for strength, not weakness; for victory, not defeat."

...

I like that last paragraph. It sums up his message. It also demonstrates why he would be a good president, and far better than the Democrats who are desperate for defeat and retreat in Iraq. In contrast with Huckabee, he is not trying to sound like a Democrat in discussing foreign policy. By sounding like a Democrat, Huckabee is conceding the ground where the Republicans are strongest. Giuliani would be a much more effective leader on those issues.