GIULIANI TIME....

Given that Rudy Giuliani is not a conservative Republican, how can he win the nomination of his party without the support of that core group?

Is the right wing of the Republican party as disheartened as it appears to be from reports out of the CPAC convention? If the right wing can not find a hero around whom it can coalesce, it might just sit out the campaign. If that happens, admittedly a big if, Rudy’s “warm fuzzy” quotient could make him more attractive to Republican primary voters, irrespective of his previous positions. The possibility of Rudy being the candidate goes up especially if the electorate feels threatened by terrorist activity, and thus it feels compelled to elect a strong leader.

So why not John McCain as the part standard bearer? McCain may be played out. After his years in the senate, his accommodations with the Bush administration, and his trying to play both sides of the Republican spectrum, he is seen as just another politician rather than the driver of his old “Straight Talk Express.” That and the fact that he will be in his early 70s, may spur the rank and file Republicans to look for a new face for the national scene. That new face may be Rudy.