God, guns, and gays

See also Rudy Giuliani in Drag Smooching Donald Trump at YouTube.

Newsweek'’s Eleanor Clift had plenty of company when she contemplated Hurricane Katrina'’s devastation and asked, "“Where is Rudy Giuliani when we need him?" In the political-leadership sweepstakes, Giuliani is A-number-one, top of the list, king of the hill. But Sinatra'’s catchy claim is turned on its head in the presidential sweepstakes: When it comes to winning over GOP primary voters, if you can make it in New York, you can't make it anywhere else.

God, guns, and gays. An interesting article by Kate O'Beirne in the National Review on why Rudy Giuliani cannot get the Republican nomination for President.

It does soometimes look as if political conservatism (as opposed to ideological conservatism) has come down to these issues among many American men. I think Giuliani would be an awful president, and articles written at the time of his New York mayoral runs in the New Yorker about his past would almost certainly sink him.

The National Review highlights the article on its cover with a picture of Rudy Giuliani dressed up as Marilyn Monroe. This image was quite well known in New York. It was from a fundraising party in which Giuliani ordered all his top staff to cross dress, and then himself dressed as Marilyn, and sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President." At the time, Drag bars in New York put "Thank You Mr Mayor" posters in their windows.

But O'Beirne is an old bird. I wonder if all this will make any difference. The "god, guns, and gays" issue seem to me to be as much about male self image than anything else. Many men simply use these issues as markers for the WIMP (Woefully I Inadequate Male Person) issue. But, whatever his faults, and no matter how much you dislike him, noone could regard Giliani as a WIMP.

After all, it takes a strong man to wear a dress.

{update: Andrew Sullivan discusses the New Republics covere here