If it came down to Rudi and the Hildebeast and Rudy appointed a solid pro-life veep, as he likely would, would you still sit it out? Not me. The country can survive a pro-abort president who isn't all that militant about it and is competent in other respects. It can't survive the Islamofacist enabling feminazi Hildebeast.
That's pretty big "IF" now isn't it?
Since our judiciary has made itself supreme, and the other two, allegedly coequal branches have done nothing to stop them, it all comes down to the Courts.
A pro-choice candidate would be anathema for many in the party, but Giuliani has the 9-11 glow and heroism on his side that makes him a bit more palatable. Still, if it was thought that he'd appoint justices to the Sup Court who shares his culturally liberal values, then he'd have no chance. As such, the best thing Giuliani could do to enchance his chances in the primary, and then to turn out the socialcon base in Nov would be to promise to appoint justices in the mold of Scalia and Thomas.
I think alot of social conservatives would be willing to accept a Giuliani-type candidate if they were confident that he would at least be an ally in making the Courts neutral in the Culture War, and restoring judicial fidelity to the Constitution.
The same goes for McCain; he has fences to mend with social conservatives after going for media kudos and adulation when he attacked them in 2000. But he actually does have a fairly conservative career voting record, so a 'straight-talk' pledge to nominate judicial conservatives would serve him well.
Rice is a totally unproven political entity. She should run for office in California. If Dick Morris is correct (and he seems to be wrong at least as much as he is right) that only Rice can beat Hillary, then we have crossed a demographic line that spells doom for the GOP.