We continue to profile the presidential candidates in the lead up to the 2008 presidential election. We turn our attention to Democrat John Edwards and Republican Rudolph Giuliani.

Each candidate profiled so far has something to offer, something that Arab-American voters may find compelling enough to be worthy of their vote. Of course, they each also offer positions on certain issues that may give many of us pause.

But of the candidates profiled so far, none do I find as disturbing as Rudolph Giuliani. A polished politician, Giuliani has a casual manner about him, is well-spoken, and continues to project confidence that served him so well during 9/11 as mayor of New York. But as with President Bush, to get at the substance of the candidacy of Rudolph Giuliani, one has to look at the people they look to for guidance on various issues, be it healthcare, the economy, immigration, etc.

It is Giuliani’s choice of advisers on the foreign policy front that has raised serious concerns among many in the Arab-American community as well as analysts across the board. Among those who have the former New York mayor’s ear on international affairs are the likes of Norman Podhoretz, Daniel Pipes and Michael Rubin. Here’s what an October 25 article in the New York Times – headlined “Mideast Hawks Help to Develop Giuliani Policy” – said about Giuliani’s choice.

“Mr. Giuliani’s team includes Norman Podhoretz, a prominent neoconservative who advocates bombing Iran “as soon as it is logistically possible;” Daniel Pipes, the director of the Middle East Forum, who has called for profiling Muslims at airports and scrutinizing American Muslims in law enforcement, the military and the diplomatic corps; and Michael Rubin, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute who has written in favor of revoking the United States’ ban on assassination.”

Indeed, for those not familiar with these names, this cadre of advisers represents a who’s who of the neoconservative movement, the folks who, during the Bush administration, have pushed the United States into what are arguably some of the most egregious foreign policy blunders in our country’s history.

Moreover, their influence is already apparent in some of Giuliani’s positions, including:

* Skepticism about how far U.S. efforts should go towards establishing a Palestinian state

* Continuing the Iraq war and building up the U.S. military by adding 10 c0mbat brigades to the Army

* Is skeptical about the role of the U.N., seeing it as good for little more than peacekeeping and humanitarian missions

* Before we realize it, we will all find ourselves in the voting booth during the primaries, choosing who we want to represent us in the general election. It’s important to take note of what a candidate says in the lead up to that date, but it’s just as critical to know about the men and women behind the candidate.