The Giuliani Wedge

Been thinking a lot about Giuliani lately. On Faux News Sunday, General Kristol said that whichever GOP front-runner emerges will have to "make a deal" with the GOP conservative base that, whatever his personal views, he will subscribe and adhere to the views of the conservative base. The bad general seemed to think that Giuliani could do that.

But then on "This Weak," I heard George F. Will--who introduced Giuliani at the CPAC, but was still allowed to comment on the race on ABC!--say that Giuliani would have an advantage in states like California (the California GOP primary) because his views are more moderate. But can Giuliani run two campaigns simultaneously? In more conservative states, he runs a conservative, "I am with you," campaign, but in Blue-er states he runs a pro-choice, more tolerant campaign? And that would have to be done simultaneously--the primaries would be at the same time, or at least very compressed together.

What I'm hearing is that the Giuliani campaign is saying one thing to ideological conservatives and another to GOP operatives, who may not be as hard-line on lots of issues. It sounds to me like Giuliani is thinking he can say one thing in South Carolina and another thing in California, one thing in Texas and another in New Jersey (and New York). That would work, if it weren't for tv, the Internet, and, um, the opposition.