Civil Liberties

Former Mayor Giuliani is opposed to closing the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.   He argues that many of those held at Guantanamo are "dangerous" and should not be released because "...nobody will take the people there."  Giuliani believes that the U.S. should not use torture against terrorism suspects, although he has stated that he's not sure if the controversial practice known as "waterboarding" constitutes torture. 

Giuliani is a strong supporter of the Patriot Act. He has said "If you have the Patriot Act, if you have electronic surveillance and if you have aggressive questioning, it doesn't mean that you're going to pick up every attack, but it does mean you give yourself the better chance of doing that."  Giuliani is also a proponent of wiretapping. He has stated that when he was a prosecutor, courts often turned down his wiretapping requests.  Concerning this issue, Giuliani has said that "...there may just be times where a president has to use his own judgment in order to protect the American people and we have to use a little room for that."

Giuliani On The Issues

Giuliani says Patriot Act is OK, Union Leader, October 30, 2007

Immigration

As mayor, Giuliani dealt extensively with immigration issues.  He believes that U.S. immigration laws must be rigorously enforced, and calls the ending of illegal immigration a "national priority."  He supports the building of a fence on the U.S. Mexico border to stop illegal immigration. 

Although Giuliani does not support giving illegal immigrants "amnesty," he believes that they should be given an opportunity to become citizens, and that they should be able to work while still illegals if they receive "tamper-proof" identification cards.  He also believes that the children of illegal immigrants should be able to go to school.  In addition, Giuliani believes that the Constitution should be amended so that people who legally immigrate to the U.S. can run for president. 

Giuliani Shifts His Tone on Immigration, New York Times, April 22, 2007

Giuliani On The Issues

Iran

Giuliani is completely opposed to Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, or even nuclear energy for civilian use.  He believes that sanctions should be used to prevent this from happening, saying "I think we should proceed with diplomacy. I think we should proceed with sanctions. We should up the sanctions, and we should proceed with disinvestment. It's had some success. We don't know if it's going to be long-term success in North Korea. I believe it can have success in Iran."

At the same time, Giuliani believes that military force should also be an option to prevent the acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran.   In an interview, he stated that "It really depends on what our intelligence says. I mean, the reality is, the use of military force against Iran would be very dangerous. It would be very provocative. The only thing worse would be Iran being a nuclear power."

“For years now, the Islamic Republic of Iran has defied and played games with every international effort aimed at persuading the country to halt enriching uranium,” said Giuliani in a statement pertaining to the December NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) on Iran. “Sanctions and other pressures must be continued and stepped up until Iran complies by halting enrichment activities in a verifiable way.”

Transcript from "Hannity & Colmes," Fox News, April 3, 2007

Giuliani on Iran, Friends Committee on National Legislation, September 25, 2007

Candidates Hold to Their Stances on Iran

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