Rudy could honestly ride the "effective" wave that David Brooks wrote about a few weeks ago. There is a real palpable sense that things have gone off the rail in this country, a sense that has obviously began to infiltrate even conservative circles. 3 years is a long way away, a lot can change by then, but don't be surprised if Rudy attracts a lot of even conservative support if he runs on an "effectiveness" campaign.
I think we are on the same wave length. Its not that I am gung ho Giuliani, but I have been keeping a very close eye on the reactions he gets down south and in the mid west when he goes there and so has the MSM. Most of the people who go see him are conservatives and after they meet him and listen to him they want him to run. He does very well with conservatives across this country. That is what the MSM is picking up on. You are right things have changed since the 2004 elections and they are still changing.
The only way Giuliani loses is if conservatives stay home because he is pro-choice. Haven't we learned that three supposedly pro-life Republican presidents over 20 years did nothing to stop abortion? Were there more abortions while pro-choice Bill Clinton was president? Yet we are perfectly willing to walk away from a giant like Rudy Giuliani because of this issue. Once George Bush gets a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, abortion should not even be an issue in a presidential campaign. It will, and should, be fought in the states.
Giuliani cheated on his wife? Ronald Reagan did too, and Nancy was pregnant before they were married. Y'all might be very unpleasantly surprised at the personal peccadillos of many of your conservative heroes.
The next president really needs to accomplish only two things: get federal spending under control, and win the war on terror. I would feel more confident that Giuliani could do those two things than any other candidate out there, and he will kill Hillary on both of those issues.