Rudy has a MySpace page!  There's nothing much on it at all, but he does have 713 friends (4:54 PM 2-21-07).  According to TechPresident (a site that tracks "how the candidates are using the web, and how the web is using them") Rudy's trailing behind Paul, Romney, McCain and Tancredo in number of MySpace friends, although the reason for this is unclear.  Are people adding the candidates or are the candidates adding random people as friends?  I would be interested to know how this works.  Apparently he's in my extended network, which is interesting seeing as I don't have a MySpace page...

Not much new from his campaign website this week, although he did announce his Massachusetts Leadership Team:

The Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee today announced key Massachusetts Republican leaders who will lead Mayor Giuliani's efforts in the state. The team will be led by senior advisor to the Committee, former Governor Paul Cellucci, and includes a majority of Republican State Senators, as well as past and present leaders in Republican politics.

WHAT HIS OPPONENETS ARE SAYING:

A lot -- about each other.  Only Biden has something to say about Giuliani, a somewhat benign comment:

Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee now in his sixth term, maintains he's the best equipped to win the White House for his party given the public's fixation on national security.

"The first thing is, you don't get to discuss any of the issues that the majority of Americans are with us (Democrats) on _ domestic issues _ unless you can, to use a Nevada phrase, ante up with unimpeachable credentials on national security. I don't think you even get in the game," Biden said.

"Republicans usually crown their front-runners, either (Arizona Sen. John) McCain or (New York City Mayor Rudy) Giuliani, so we have to have somebody at the top of the ticket who appears to be no-nonsense, knowledgeable and worldly, someone who does not have to have on-the-job training."

"Whether it is me or not, that is the test. People are looking for someone with a depth and breadth of experience that they can trust, not just in this election but beyond in what will be a very difficult decade."

Another interesting note:  According to PrezVid.com, a new site tracking candidates' YouTube videos shows that almost all the Democratic candidates have YouTube feeds (Dennis Kucinich being the outlier) but only one Republican (Romney) has one.  It will be interesting to see if the money being spent by the Democrats on internet advertisment (blogs, MySpace, YouTube, etc.) will make a difference

NEWS FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA:

Today's Washington Times Insider Politics Blog ran an article saying that "maybe the skeptics are underestimating the reservoir of good will and admiration remaining for the hero of 9/11."  It links to a New York Observer article that describes in detail how Rudy has tried to "repackage" himself to make himself more appealing to social conservatives.

The Washington Post carried a story (along with every other major news outlet in the country) that described Giuliani's fundraiser in Richmond, VA entitled "Giuliani Praises Conservative Judges." Some pundits have proposed that if Giuliani can be persuasive on appointing strict-constructionist judges, then he can win over the social conservatives who have cast so much doubt over his credentials.  Looks like Rudy is taking their advice:

"They share the kind of overall judicial philosophy that I have," Giuliani said during an impromptu news conference just before the fundraiser.

[...]

"What I mean by strict constructionist, or using the plain language or meaning of the Constitution, is judges should try to interpret the Constitution, not make it up to fit their social preferences," Giuliani said.

Also, the New York Times reported on Sunday that GOP candidates are already out trying to win support in New Jersey in preparation for that state's GOP primary... and they haven't even set a date.  The article says that Giuliani "has the support of 11 of the party's county chairmen and a small army of state lawmakers" including Christie Witman, State Sen. Bucco, and Thomas Kean Jr.

Quinnipiac University's new poll, released today, shows that:

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani leads Sen. Hillary Clinton 48 - 43 percent among American voters in a 2008 national presidential poll released by Quinnipiac University today. Arizona Sen. John McCain edges Sen. Clinton 46 - 44 percent.

Giuliani tops Clinton 55 - 38 percent in Red states, which voted Republican in the 2004 presidential election, and ties her 46 - 46 percent in Blue states, which went Democratic in 2004. He gets 44 percent to Clinton's 45 percent in Purple states, where the margin in 2004 was less than 7 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. In other possible presidential matchups:

[...]

-Giuliani beats Illinois Sen. Barack Obama 47 - 40 percent

-Giuliani tops 2004 vice presidential candidate John Edwards 48 - 40 percent

WHAT'S UP IN THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Liberal Blogs

The Carpetbagger Report had a bone to pick with Rudy about his demands before giving a speech.  The article is titled "At least he didn't specify which M&Ms were to be removed from his dressing room"  but then goes on to say "if you thought the VP was being a bit of a diva, wait until you see what Rudy Giuliani demands."

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire points out the difficulty of going from mayor to President, a feat not accomplished since Coolidge in 1924.

Wonkette posted last Thursday criticizing the way that Rudy announced he was running for President, saying "he brought his own special brand of Rudy charm to the exercise by declaring in the language of a sullen sixteen-year-old who's been asked to take out the garbage."

Conservative Blogs

HotAir's got the video of Rudy on Larry King criticizing non-binding resolutions, saying that "making a statement" is what TV talk show hosts do, not what the US Congress should do.

Front Sight, a Second Amendment rights blog, posted yesterday:

I am not convinced that Rudy Giuliani represents a serious candidacy for the office of President of the United States. Were the Republican Party to nominate him, it would, in the same breath, will itself out of existence. If nothing else, when the drag photos find their way south of the Mason-Dixon line, it will be curtains for Rudy. Nevertheless, he is currently running ahead in the polls, so let's take a look at the cavalcade sins Rudy has committed against gun owners...

The post goes on to describe and link to just about everything Rudy has ever said/done on gun control.  It's a good read, even if you don't agree with the author's views.

Free Republic's Matt Friedeman reports that "[t]he Republicans, and even some socially conservative and evangelical leaders, are beginning to adjust to the possibility of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as the GOP nominee for president."  Friedeman threatens that faced with a choice between Hillary and Rudy, the vast majority of the GOP base would stay home.    

NewsByUs's William H. Calhoun posted today that Rudy's not patriotic because:

Like Bill Kristol, Giuliani holds the following inconsistent positions.

(1) Giuliani thinks that we should spend billions of US taxpayers' dollars to secure the borders of Israel and deport foreigners from Iraq

and

(2) he simultaneously supports the open-borders, third-world invasion of the USA.

And this man is "patriotic"?  Is this, or is this not, treason?

Have Republicans lost their minds?

The top dog of conservative thinktanks, The Clairmont Institute, posted optimistically that if California changes its primary date from June 2008 to February 5 2008, it "may just be Giuliani's golden ticket to the nomination."

Moderate/Mixed/Impartial Blogs

Virtual Citizens, a self-described "progressive populist" site that dislikes both the Democrat and the Republican parties, ran an article on Giuliani's history before being elected Mayor of New York City, specifically in Haiti, calling him a fascist:

In statements to the federal courts and the press, Giuliani said that dictator "Baby Doc" Duvlier had personally assured him that Haitians returned from the United States were not persecuted.  "Political repression is not the major reason for leaving Haiti," Giuliani concluded.

Years later, as mayor, Giuliani would let another group of blue-uniformed thugs torture and terrorize Haitians and Black people, as he unleashed the NYPD to enforce "Giuliani Time."