The Iron Lady
Rudy Giuliani's recent trip to London to receive an award from Margaret Thatcher was a publicity coup, but it was also meant to establish Hizzoner as Reagan's rightful heir.
The word "Reagan" is never far from any Republican's lips, but Giuliani goes out of his way to emulate our fortieth president. On the stump, he continually refers to Reagan as one of his heroes and mentions his service in the Reagan Justice Department. And in interviews like this one with the New York Times's Matt Bai, Giuliani implicitly likens himself to Reagan:
Giuliani said the Iranians had to know that America was serious about stopping them. I asked him: Didn't he think they already knew we were serious? Bush had invaded Iraq for less. That was pretty serious.
"I don't think it's real clear," Giuliani said, blaming Democrats for muddying the message about American resolve. "I think it has to be Ronald Reagan-like real clear. If it is, we have a chance of accomplishing what Ronald Reagan did, which is winning the war without firing a shot."
Presumably Giuliani believes that he, more than any of his rivals, has the ability to deliver a "Ronald Reagan-like real clear" message to Iran. And what better way to communicate this to Republican--and independent--voters than to stand side by side with Reagan's favorite head of state?