"Bloomberg Sparks Speculation: Giuliani As Convention Keynote Speaker?"

wnbc.com

NEW YORK -- Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as the keynote speaker for the
Republican National Convention?

Organizers of the event that begins Aug. 30 in Manhattan say they haven't
nailed down those details, but Giuliani's successor, Michael Bloomberg,
caused a stir when he suggested the idea on Monday.In a speech to tourism and convention officials, Bloomberg, who was a
Democrat before he ran for mayor as a Republican in 2001, joked that he
was not a likely choice to headline the GOP gathering. He slyly suggested
that he'd "probably lose that battle" to another New York City mayor.

Giuliani, whose spokeswoman had no immediate comment, is an obvious pick
for the main speaking slot. He was credited with guiding the city through
its grief after the 2001 terror attacks, leadership that also won him
nationwide political praise. He was later named Time magazine's Person of
the Year.

After he left City Hall, he formed a consulting group, and has said he
would probably seek political office again.

Traditionally, keynote addresses are the most important speeches at a
convention except for those of the presidential and vice presidential
nominees.

The Republicans had no official keynote speaker at their 2000 convention
in Philadelphia, opting instead to give prominent speaking roles to Colin
Powell, Arizona Sen. John McCain and Laura Bush. In 1996, New York Rep.
Susan Molinari was the keynote speaker at the San Diego convention.

Convention staffers say Giuliani could be a contender this year. He will
clearly have a significant role in the convention, as chairman of the New
York City Host Committee, which raises money for the event.

Gov. George Pataki, also a Republican, said Monday that Giuliani would
make a "terrific" keynote speaker.

Convention CEO Bill Harris said the committee planning the event's program
has not been formed yet, nor have organizers decided when in the four-day
event the keynote speech would take place.

"Nobody's even considered who the keynote speaker's going to be yet,"
Harris told reporters after Monday's meeting, where he also spoke. "All
those questions are by far premature."