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Key role for America's mayor

Giuliani's brand of urban conservatism is critical not just for McCain's bid, but for the future of the GOP

August 30, 2008 By HARRY SIEGEL Harry Siegel is a senior editor at Politico and the co-author with Fred Siegel of "Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York and the Genius of American Life."

Rudy Giuliani, the fast-moving conventional wisdom now has it, is the wrong choice to deliver the keynote address at the Republican convention in St. Paul this week. The New York and Long Island native who's never been more than a mayor was debunked as a national figure, goes the thinking, by his poor performance in the GOP primaries, where he'd once been the favorite.

That's half right, if...

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