Rudy Giuliani calls Himself an Agent of Change

Republican Rudy Giuliani has declared himself a "change agent". The former New York mayor claimed he had brought more changes to New York City than any other mayor.

Speaking to reporters on a press bus, while on his three-day tour of Florida, Giuliani said, "I was a mayor who was a change agent. Whether you agree with my changes or not, I think you'd have to say I was probably the mayor of New York City who, at least in modern times, brought about the most change." He said, "Other mayors have done other things, I'm not taking anything away from them, but I had to make major changes".

Giuliani did not spell out the changes that he claimed he had brought about. However, during his campaign he has often referred to his role in changing certain things. These include his efforts to cut down on welfare rolls and cleaning up Times Square of its adult bookstores and peep shows. Then there was also his program to track daily police statistics, which was credited with eliminating crime in New York City. Giuliani is reportedly counting on a victory in the primary to be held in Florida on January 29.

Earlier, Giuliani had criticized Democratic candidates for peddling a message of change. He said their policies amounted to "bad" change.

Speaking to retirees during a town hall meeting at Fort Myers, he said, "As soon as the election is over, somebody should put up an armistice." He said, "They should put a white flag somewhere either at the Capitol or at the White House or at both places, everybody get together and say 'How about we don't fight for a year or two, how about we try to get something done for a year or two,' and let's have a debate over principles." Giuliani was responding to question on how he would resolve inter-party disputes. This is a popular theme that is also being pushed by other candidates such as Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mike Huckabee.