US military veterans love rudy giuliani

RUDY'S 'ARMY' New York Post August 24, 2007 -- Military veterans are ready to salute Rudy Giuliani as their next commander-in-chief - but treat Hillary Rodham Clinton like a private. Giuliani is the most popular presidential candidate among vets and Clinton is the most unpopular, according to a Gallup poll released yesterday. Giuliani - a supporter of the Iraq war who obtained an occupational deferment during Vietnam - was viewed favorably by 64 percent of veterans. Only 29 percent disliked him. By comparison, 59 percent of vets gave Clinton an unfavorable rating. Only 37 percent gave her a thumbs-up, giving her the poorest overall rating. The Gallup survey suggested that a gender gap hurts Clinton, the only woman in the race. "Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who is viewed much more negatively than positively by veterans. Clinton would seem to be at a decided disadvantage among veterans, given that roughly 9 in 10 in the sample are men," said Gallup managing editor Jeff Jones. Giuliani's 64 percent approval rating among vets exceeded that of John McCain - a decorated Vietnam POW - who was viewed favorably by 52 percent of his comrades and unfavorably by 40 percent. "It's another sign that the mayor's message of staying on offense in the terrorists' war on us is resonating," said Giuliani campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella. While popular among all vets, Giuliani faces a tough battle for the military vote in a Republican primary. He gets 28 percent of the vote, compared to 25 percent for unannounced candidate Fred Thompson. The results are troubling for McCain, the only veteran among the top-tier candidates. Only 13 percent of the Republican vets support his candidacy - tied for third with Mitt Romney. There's a silver lining for Clinton: She is the favored candidate of veterans who are Democrats. She is backed by 41 percent of vets for the nomination, compared to 30 percent for Barack Obama.