The abortion thing is important in itself but what I was alluding to with the remark you cite is a point about details: I’ve always wondered if the more people get to know Rudy — most know him for one thing — the more they’re not going to embrace the idea of him as POTUS. He has this early advantage that could be a disadvantage in the end — he didn’t have to jump in this with an emphasis on any details, people love him for being “America’s Mayor,” that iconic image. But will the image be enough to get him to the White House? Will he hold up under scrutiny — on policy, on other things.

Specifically on the c-in-c thing: I admire the clear basic way he talks about the war on militant Islam and why we fight — fundamentals the Bush administration didn’t hammer home early and often … and this is no small thing — but there is more to being commander in chief.

I refer to Mark Levin (who is smarter than us — he’s on vacation this week) from a while back:

We are not electing a secretary of defense. We are electing a president. And when Rudy’s early supporters brush aside social or character issues and tell us to only focus on his post 9/11 response or his law enforcement record, they demonstrate a naiveté about the political process and the conservative coalition that may well put Hillary Clinton or another equally troubling Democrat in the White House. Maybe Giuliani will be or should be the Republican nominee, but he will be a sure loser in the general election if his supporters insist that social and economic conservatives ignore his record and past statements. It is said, or at least assumed, that Giuliani would be better than others in the Republican ranks on the war. Why is that? Mitt Romney has been just as gung-ho about supporting the president and our military as Giuliani. Does Giuliani bring some expertise to the table in waging this war than Romney or even John McCain? I don’t think so. Of course his response to the attack on New York City was outstanding. Nobody questions that. He showed great leadership. And in no way do I seek to diminish it. Indeed, contrast it to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin’s response to Katrina. But when it comes to actually waging war against al-Qaeda, Giuliani has no more or less experience than McCain or Romney…