RE: "talk along K Street and elsewhere is that he is going to
help former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani decide whether a
presidential run is a good idea."
Mehlman would be a solid addition to Rudy's team. As a supporter
of Rudy myself, the biggest concern I have is that Giuliani will
wait too long to decide and thus end up too far behind
Romney/McCain as far as building a national organization. In some
sense there's an argument for waiting to keep everybody in suspense
so once you do announce, it generates more excitement. But there's
also a danger that by waiting too long, people assume you're not
running, lose interest, and join another campaign. McCain and
Romney have the luxury of waiting to make an official announcement
because everybody knows they're running. In my view, Giuliani will
ultimately decide to run, but if he wants to win, it's imperative
that he announce soon to dispell all doubts and demonstrate that
he's serious about it.