In a remarkable bit of strategery, Rudy Giuliani is bowing out of the GOP Presidential race and although I agree with Goldy that his whole candidacy could very well have been just a ploy for sunny tee times and beach front margaritas for him and what little “paid” staff he had left, I’d take take it one step further.  We’ve heard about the backroom deals that are primary races with both parties where presidential candidates are not selected by public vote but rather a skillful calculation mixed in with the motions of primary campaigning.  This deal is looking to be the most transparent version we have seen in some time. 

McCain’s win in Florida with Giuliani skipping earlier primaries smells of just such a deal.  And what a way to do it.  “America’s Mayor“, and his steady plunge to electoral death in both primaries and polls combined with the love fest that seems to be flourishing between McCain and Giuliani suggests that this was the point.  A McCain-Giuliani ticket could very well be in the works.  It’s what makes Goldy’s post so delightful.

Think about it. Giuliani may be arrogant and vindictive and ethically challenged, but nobody’s ever accused the man of being stupid, so perhaps he and his advisers knew all along that he didn’t stand a chance on the national stage once Americans really got to know him. But just because he couldn’t win the White House didn’t mean he couldn’t make a little scratch on the side, and taking a lesson from Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom in Mel Brooks’ legendary The Producers, perhaps Giuliani realized he could make a helluva lot more money from a presidential flop than he ever could from a respectable run?

How would the scam work? Simple. Raise tens of millions of dollars while you’re riding high in the national polls, but stay out of the expensive media wars in the early primaries to “focus on Florida.” Then when your Florida strategy inevitably fails, you bow out of the race, having spent all your cash on high-priced “consultants” for, well, who knows what? Once out of the national spotlight, Giuliani and his “consultants” just split the loot and fly off to Rio, just in time for Carnival.

I have a tendency to look at a VP candidate as someone strong on foreign policy or an ambassador to garner the good will of other nations toward Americans.  If a Giuliani VP ticket comes to being, none of those things will be in play.  Joe Biden called Giuliani a “foreign policy disaster” and as far as hugs and kisses for the good will among nations, Giuliani is likely to be internationally received as partially hatched chicken soup.

There is a bright side to this in the Democratic camp.  McCain polls (at least according to this poll) best against the top two Democratic front runners.  Giuliani’s MSM meme of “the more they know him the less they like him” could very well be the kiss of death and turn this poll around for even an Obama nomination.   

  • Hillary Clinton - 266
  • John McCain - 256
  • Barack Obama - 188
  • John McCain - 323

  • John Edwards - 225
  • John McCain - 216

Keep in mind that this is just a poll.  I’m particularly skeptical of the Obama/McCain stats being that even here in blood red Central Washington, Obama comes in a pretty good 3rd amongst all candidates in a goofy unscientific KONA radio poll.  A radio station who’s target audience are the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity faithful.  But even more odd that Giuliani wasn’t even a selection!  But still… Obama lists impressively even in this little red burg. 

More and more I look at a McCain candidacy as having the same relevancy as Bob Dole’s.  The sad deal is, McCain is probably the best the GOP has and in some weird way, I actually kind of like the guy… but not that much.  But consider Mitt Romney’s (The Crimson Chin) Florida speech tonight where he pandered to a religious base with a “marriage before babies” (obviously failed biology), his attack on teacher unions, and unfettering praise for Bush and the war, I don’t have much sympathy for the republican party.  And they can send thank you notes to every republican president since Nixon for that.

So there is a bit of speculation… McCain\Giuliani?  Disaster!

Cheers!