Giuliani would consider a troop increase, if requested

Republican presidential candidate Rudolph W. Giuliani said Wednesday he would consider increasing U.S. troops in Iraq if the head of military operations there, Army General David H. Petraeus, requested them.

“If he said the strategy was working, and we needed more soldiers to make it work,” Giuliani said in an interview, “of course I’d look at that and consider that.”

Giuliani, 63, said he knew such a decision would be unpopular. “Leadership is about sometimes doing the things that you know are right” and then educating the public, he said.

In a speech Tuesday in New Hampshire, Giuliani outlined 12 campaign promises that included protecting against terrorism, cutting taxes, ending illegal immigration and making healthcare more affordable. The former New York City mayor plans to offer more detail as he travels the country this summer.

Giuliani said in the interview with Bloomberg News that he favors cutting taxes and simplifying the tax code. He would eliminate the estate tax and examine corporate tax rates “to make sure we are competitive.”

On trade, Giuliani called globalization “one of the best things for our future.” Americans, he said, “should be cheering globalization” and needed a Republican president who understands the free market.