FACTBOX-US presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani
(Reuters) - The former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, much hailed for his post-9/11 performance, is leading Republican rivals for the 2008 presidential nomination in national polls.
Following are some facts about Giuliani.
* Evangelical Pat Robertson, who disagrees strongly with Giuliani on social issues, nonetheless is backing Giuliani. "To me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists," Robertson said. "We need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead."
* Giuliani's foreign-policy advisors include Norman Podhoretz, who is outspoken on a need to bomb Iran, and Daniel Pipes, who advocates singling out Muslims at airport security points.
* Giuliani, 63, has called for a larger U.S. military and refuses to term waterboarding, which simulates drowning, a form of torture.
* Giuliani pulled out of the U.S. Senate race in New York with first lady Hillary Clinton in 2000 to fight prostate cancer.
* Giuliani's political ruthlessness and 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week working style were hallmarks of his mayoralty.
* Giuliani, a Roman Catholic, has been married three times.
* He revealed in 2000 that he was seeking a separation from his wife of 16 years and spending time with another woman. His wife at the time, Donna Hanover, a television journalist and actress, accused him of infidelity with a former staff member as well.
* Giuliani's positions in favor of a woman's right to choose an abortion and in favor of gay rights put him at odds with many of the conservative voters who tend to turn out in Republican primary elections.
(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
(Writing by Paul Grant, editing by Philip Barbara; Washington Editorial Reference Unit)
