(CNN) - Rudy Giuliani hailed former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio Monday as the "one candidate that [Florida Republicans] can trust" to uphold conservative values in Washington.
"This is an easy choice in this race," the former New York City mayor said at a press conference in Miami before a gathering of Rubio supporters. "This is an easy choice for a Republican because he is the one candidate that we can trust to represent Republican principles in Washington and remain a Republican if he goes to Washington."
Rubio will face Florida Gov. Charlie Crist in the GOP senatorial primary in late August.
Giuliani's endorsement is among Rubio's most high profile to date, and is being seen as political payback to Crist who refused to endorse the former New York City mayor during his presidential bid two years ago.
Crist instead lent his last-minute support to Arizona Republican John McCain, who ultimately won that state's pivotal presidential primary and effectively ended Giuliani's hopes of becoming the GOP's presidential nominee.
A Mason-Dixon poll late last month showed Rubio leading Crist among Republican voters by 11 points, 48-37 percent. Fifteen percent in that survey remained undecided.
But it was almost as if Giuliani was back on the presidential campaign trail himself Monday, using much of his 10-minute endorsement speech to criticize President Obama's policies - specifically his approach to the war on terrorism.
"Let's have an America that stands up to terrorism, not an America that has ambiguity and confusion," Giuliani said. "Do we want to see people like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed tried in New York? Or Miami? Shouldn't he be tried in a military tribunal?"
"The president can't make up his mind," he continued. "Do you understand what kind of lack of leadership that shows to the rest of the world? I tried over 4,000 criminals. The easiest decision I had was where to try them."
From CNN Politics
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That is the problem in a nut shell: represent Republicans principles when in Washington; that is fear/hate/obstructionism/purity.
Our elected officials should go to Washington to do the people's business; like affordable health care,energy,education, protection from foreign or domestic terrorist (ie big banks, private health insurance companies, big oil, Taliban, etc. instead of telling us who can marry whom or interfere with a woman's right to choose which is none of the Governments business.
Rudy needs to take a break and stay out of Florida politics.
Translation: Rubio is the only candidate Big Money can trust to do everything possible to maintain the status quo of industry abuse, lack of accountability, absence of regulation, unequal distribution of wealth, cronyism, and corruption.
On the other hand, Crist would keep working for bipartisan progress and values that echo those expressed by the REAL founders of our nation (see Thomas Paine for details).
Rudy who?
another useless two faced republican!
And where did Rudy try his cases? In the venue where the crime was committed...
Giuliani is a piece of ... work.
A noun, a verb, and 9/11. This clown needs some new material.
rudy pals around with felons. and he cheats on his wives in public. he is a true conservative.
He is just a racist. There is no other word to describe him. He is mad, angry and jealous that a Black man beat him ato the White House.
The picture here shows his cynical glare!!! Glad he will NEVER be President of the United States.........you can check that off of your to do list. Your list is DONE.
Like Palin- who cares what this man thinks?
He dropped out of a senate race in New york because no one wanted him. He was leaving the office of mayor in NYC becuase his poll numbers were so low and if 9/11 hadn't happened would be a political nothing.
As for promoting "conservative values" – when did he become a conservative? He has always been a moderate! Now all of a sudden he finds the most conservative man in the Florida race to back?
The hypocrasy in all this is asstounding!
"Do you understand what kind of lack of leadership that shows to the rest of the world?"
You mean the lack of leadership that has repaired diplomatic relations worldwide strained to the breaking point under Bush, has gained nuclear arms agreements with Russia, has seen Russia and China in agreement for tough sanctions against Iraq and has brought down numerous Al-Queda leadership members including the #2 in command. Is that the lack of leadership you mean Giuliani??? Is that what you meant??
Yeah! We can't try these people in civilian court just like the Bush administration did! No Way! Now that a Democrat is in office, we have to do it a different way, so that us Republicans will have something to whine about! Yeah! Take that!
Is this the same Guilliani that was living with a gay couple while getting a divorce? Wasn't he living with his girlfriend in the Mayor's mansion while his wife was ALSO still living there and they were still married? How come his children did not support him when he was running for president?
Sounds like he is a modern day conservative and Republican. I'm sure his endorsement will mean a lot.
Rudy Guiliani has no moral values and is irrelevant. He should go and live in Florida - maybe they're the only one who cares what he has to say.
Let's have a Rudy who can make up his mind which mistress he wants!
Does the GOP hypocrasy train have any brakes at all? (!)
The real news story is that there are apparently still people in this country with whom Mr. Giuliani's opinion carries any importance.
I mean it's not like he's in the same class as a Limbaugh, Coulter, or Steele.
So is Giuliani saying they should be tried as Criminals? Or in military tribunals? Its almost as though he's unwilling to say either way so that he can claim anger no matter what the President does. Typical.
Right, and Rudy fits those conservative values. Look at his own personal life. Conservatives are all do as I say and not as I do.
How can he possibly open his mouth without 9/11 popping out? I didn't think he could do it. Also, how much weight does this carry? He did it more to get back at Crist then to really support Rubio.
This man is a looser and seems to alwys back losers!
Your a looser.. still playing games like the rest of the Republicans.. I think November is going to backfire on all the Repubs who tried to bring our country down!! Any relationship... marriage or politics.. requires commitment to compromise.. both of which Giuliani has failed at repeated times!!
This blowhard doesn't even keep up with his own talking points.
Anything Giuliani says is nothing but a bunch of blah, blah, blah. What type of trust should one put into a man who moved his mistress into the Governor's Mansion, while he was still married? Hey Rudy: say bye-bye already.....
A fine mess those "republican principles" got us into. So called conservatives keep ripping into Obama because they are scared of his success. The only significant achievements they can claim over the previous 8 years were 2 wars, one without cause and the other underfunded and neglected. Let us now try and fix the mess you created.
Hmmmmm how does the endorsement of a proven loser help someone running for office and how do his comments "make a splash" as the headline suggests? This is the guy who stated that there were no terrorists attacks while Bush was president.
One loser supporting the other one. Loser+Loser=Total Loss.