Peter Beinart wants to know, in his vid-chat with Jonah, why the “conservative movement” takes Rudy Giuliani so “seriously.” The answer: He saved America’s greatest city from self-destruction, and then, when his usefulness as mayor came to an end, was an unexpectedly restorative figure of grace and calm during and after 9/11. His mayoralty was an astonishing achievement in real-world conservative governance, and his behavior after 9/11 demonstrated leadership of a different kind.

As far as I know, the conservative movement — if by movement you mean activists and thinkers primarily — regards him with suspicion, especially that part of the conservative movement dedicated to social issues. And it is true that he doesn’t have a well-defined foreign policy as yet, whereas John McCain does — a foreign policy that is serious and sober and brave. What makes Giuliani a serious candidate who must be taken seriously is that he has stood atop the polls for more than two years. And he remains there despite the deserved beating he’s been taking for the last month or so on his strange abortion stance.