NEW YORK - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani met privately Wednesday with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and indicated that he would keep a U.S. presence in Iraq for as long as necessary, campaign aides said.
The former New York mayor is one of the few GOP candidates who has never been to Iraq. Talabani, in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, provided what Giuliani aides described as an optimistic report about progress in the region during the meeting.
Giuliani, in turn, emphasized his support for a unified Iraq and indicated that he would keep a U.S. presence in that country for as long as necessary, aides said.
The Republican front-runner in national polls has long backed the U.S.-led invasion in Iraq as well as this year's troop build-up. He often answers questions about the war by deferring to military commanders and has waded less into the specifics of how he would handle the conflict if he were to win the presidency.
Presidential hopeful and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, left, meets with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2007, in New York
The downside of a presidential bid was evident Wednesday as Giuliani's campaign said its top finance official, deputy campaign manager for finance Anne Dunsmore, had left the operation. Aides said the departure, days before the Sept. 30 deadline for reporting fundraising for the third quarter of the year, was amicable and was unrelated to fundraising.
Republican fundraiser Jim Lee will now serve as national co-chair and head the finance operation, with day-to-day responsibility for all fundraising operations.
Giuliani was raising money Wednesday in New Jersey, attending a fundraiser for Somerset County Republicans and a house party where givers were being asked for $500 per person. Polls show Giuliani leading the Republican field in New Jersey.
Source: AP
