Free Republic

Facing a long-shot bid for the nomination of a small but influential right-wing political party, William Weld told The New York Sun yesterday that he was a more conservative governor than George Pataki and would be if elected governor of New York. "Certainly what we did in Massachusetts is more conservative than what has happened in New York," he said. While New York residents pay the highest combined local and state income taxes in the nation, he said that during his six-year tenure as governor of Massachusetts in the 1990s, the state shed its reputation as "Taxachusetts" and restrained Medicaid...

Sen. John McCain is preparing for a 2008 showdown with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who so far who leads him in the presidential race according to most polls. While the two men remain personally friendly, sharing dinner recently at a Manhattan bistro, Newsday reports that McCain's team is monitoring Giuliani's every move - including keeping track of how much face time the former mayor gets on TV. Meanwhile, McCain insiders aren't shy about trashing the former mayor's presidential prospects. "In my humble opinion, Rudy wouldn't get out of the gate," longtime McCain strategist John Dennehy tells the...