The Buzz on Giuliani earlier this week is that he's too weird to be electable, citing his fourteen year marriage to his second cousin and a variety of socially liberal positions he's embraced over the years.

My take on this is that Giuliani's immense personal charisma and solid record as mayor of New York and hero of 9/11 clears the decks of everything but what he has in his metaphorical pockets since then. Stuff like this really helps.

GIULIANI: I mean, you can look at the practical and common sense conclusion on that anyway you want. But there’s something more important than that. We have a right of free speech in this country and we elect people to make decisions. Here’s what I would prefer to see them do, though, if you ask me what’s my view on that. The nonbinding resolution thing gets me more than are you for it or against it. I have tremendous respect for the people who feel that we either made a mistake going to war, who voted against the war, who now have come to the conclusion, changed their minds, they have every right to that, that it’s wrong, you should, in a dynamic situation, keep questioning. What I don’t like is the idea of a nonbinding resolution.

KING: Because?

GIULIANI: Because there’s no decision.

KING: But it’s a statement.

GIULIANI: Yes, but that’s what you do. That’s what Tim Russert does and that’s what Rush Limbaugh does. That’s what you guys do, you make comments. We pay them to make decisions, not just to make comments. We pay them to decide. The United States Congress does declarations, the war…

KING: So if you feel that way, withhold funds and that’s the way you feel?

GIULIANI: The ones I think have a better understanding of what their responsibility is and are willing to take a risk are the ones who are saying we’ve got to hold back the funds, we’ve got to vote against the war or we’re for the war. And maybe it’s because I ran a government and I tend to be a decisive person. I like decisions. And I think one of the things wrong with Washington is they don’t want to make tough decisions anymore. Non-binding resolution about Iraq, no decision on immigration, no decision on Social Security reform, no decision on what to do about energy independence, no decision. You know why that happens? Because it’s unpopular.

Frankly, I'm happy to have Democrats do nothing while in power.

Giuliani has demonstrated an amazing capacity to extemporize and get it right. Its a dangerous play in a presidential election, but if you can do it, you get high marks indeed.