Rudy would most definitely offer up strong conservatives because he would not want a "Harriet Miers fiasco" of his own. He would have no appetite for a conservative backlash, and that means not peeing off the Federalist Society.
In the end, the makeup of the Senate will determine who Rudy appoints - - if it's still a Republican Senate, he will pretty much have clear sailing; a scumbag Democrat Senate changes everything. In any event, I am sure I would prefer Rudy to McCain in making appointments up and down the judicial food chain.
In the end, the best possible scenario is to have conservatives in office who will appoint conservative judges. Accomplishing that may be difficult, but not impossible.
The above is a link to a vanity thread posted by Jim Robinson in January 2004 that is worth considering even today when discussing Presidential nominees.