I am quick to commend Rudy's leadership on 9/11/01 and in the weeks that followed.

But if we can take a step back from the emotion of that time, and analyze what he actually DID...

He expressed what is known as a ministry of presence. He was there, all the time. Hugging people, grieving with them, attending every funeral, expressing words of love and condolences to New Yorkers while expressing words of payback to our enemies. He also never slept more than a couple hours a day (if that much).

Yes that is leadership. The sort of leadership a mayor in a national attack can give. I'm sure there was some logistical planning, but lets face it - this was a federal issue and the various federal agencies were in charge, not locals.

He was a presence we could rally behind as a nation. He was doing for us, what we (in other states) could not.

Yes, I loved his remarks at the GOP convention too. But seriously folks, read Hawkins article that Lorie links. We CAN'T pick Rudy as our nominee and expect to win in 2008. Not a chance.

In fact, I would vote for McCain as an independent before voting for Rudy, and would not think twice about it. And it is very hard for me to type the words "I would vote for McCain"

Guiliani is at least qualified by experience to be President. He ran NYC for eight years, very effectively. The City has a larger population than 39 states and a larger economic output than 42.

McCain, OTOH, has never run any operation bigger than his Senate staff.

It is said that every Senator looks in the mirror and sees a President. That is a reflection of Senatorial arrogance, though, not reality. The reality is we often elect Governors and Generals to be President, but only rarely sitting Senators.

Only two sitting Senators have EVER been elected President: John Kennedy and Warren Harding. Harding had, at least, run a newspaper business prior to political life.

There's a good reason we don't elect Senators: most of them don't have the management experience required to run the largest operation in the world, the US government. Count McCain among those - he just hasn't the credentials.

God help me, I can not see supporting McCain until after he were to win the Republican nomination!

He is simply unreliable.

I'm not sure who to support yet, it is much too early, but I know whom I will not support, and McCain heads the list!

If nominated, however, I will back McCain or ANYONE ELSE the GOP puts up versus ANY Democrat whatsoever! I simply will not enable the moonbats to install one of their pet donkeys in the Oval Office (or the House or Senate) --- EVER AGAIN!!!