He is our anti-terror president.

Matt Bai: I suspect like most people he’s running because he’s always wanted to be president and thinks he’s . . . thinks he’s smart enough, good enough, and charismatic enough to be president; has that . . . has that good a sense of himself. And . . . and you know I think he’s running on a very simple premise, which is you don’t have to think I’m a nice guy. I’m not looking to babysit your kids. You don’t have to agree with everything I agree with. We disagree about some things in there. And I’m gonna do my best not to make a mess in those issues that you care about, like abortion or whatever else. But none of that matters. The only social issue that matters is we are now under attack by a civilization. We are now under . . . under the siege of radical Islam from around the world; and that, you know, I’m the guy who can keep you safe. I’ve proven that I’m the guy who can . . . who can direct troops and keep people safe. I did it in New York City and I’ll do it in the country. I mean he’s running as an anti-terror president. That’s kind of all there is. And everything else he’s running . . . every other issue is just there to mitigate potential opposition so he can focus people on the one thing he cares most about.

Recorded on: 12/13/07