Rudy goes international

This is smart. Rudy is trying to raise his profile abroad—or, at least, to present himself to the folks across the Pond. The Telegraph is buying (so far):

Whereas his rivals John McCain and Mitt Romney are engaged in attempts to disavow previous statements and recast themselves as social conservatives, Mr Giuliani’s pitch is that “for most it’s never about one issue” and consistency is preferable to pandering.

“I believe you’ve got to run based on what you are, who you really are,” he told The Daily Telegraph. “I find if you do it that way even people who disagree with you sometimes respect you.”

It is really smart for Giuliani to start doing “international” interviews, because he knows that he has to prove himself to many different audiences—and of course because the next president will most certainly be deeply involved in foreign affairs.

Meanwhile, the New York Times scoffs at the easy venues Giuliani chooses and the softballs being thrown his way. 

Instead of the sometimes barbed give-and-take endured by the other candidates, Mr. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, fielded a few questions from the firefighters and police officers who gathered to hear him here. The questions, which began with comments like, “Being in your presence here is just unbelievable,” stuck almost entirely to issues on which Mr. Giuliani is most comfortable, like airport security and border control.

More than the other major presidential candidates, Mr. Giuliani has limited himself to events with narrowly defined, friendly audiences, avoiding the kind of uncomfortable interrogations his rivals have occasionally faced. Aside from a couple of brief swings through diners, including one yesterday in Delray Beach, Fla., he has done little of the politicking that exposes candidates to random sets of people — at shopping malls or train stations — who might be of any political stripe, and can raise any issue.

I agree that Giuliani has gotten a really easy ride so far. I also think there’s no doubt that he knows what’s coming his way.