Giuliani, doing his best Reagan impression, said the most important thing he did in New York was restore optimism, and that he hopes to do the same in Washington.

“We’re not heading in the wrong direction," he said. "But what we need is leadership, to get our eyes up off the ground, where they are right now, off the particulars, that seem so imposing and so difficult and lift them up towards the future."

Incidentally, when asked by reporters about his stance on the immigration bill working its way through Congress, Giuliani said, “What it doesn’t have in it is a very clear statement of purpose, then a way of executing that purpose.”