Rudy Guiliani Takes Tough Stand on Iraq

Rudy Guiliani

Rudy Guiliani spoke on leadership yesterday before a sold-out crowd at Van Wezel Hall. He came out in favor of having a 'surge' of troops deployed in Iraq. He says even if we lose that war, the nation must remain on offense against terrorism.

GUILIANI: We're there now. Precipitous withdrawal would be a terrible defeat in the overall war against terror. We have to try for victory.

Guiliani says he's thinking about running for president. He says his close support for President Bush's foreign policy is a reflection of what he truly believes.

GUILIANI: I haven't made up my mind about 2008 yet. I won't for a while. I have an exploratory committee of people working with me and urging me to run.

The speech was given as a fundraiser for the Ringling School of Art and Design.