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The Giuliani campaign is circulating this video of Gov. Haley Barbour introducing Rudy in Mississippi yesterday. "What a lot of people don't realize is that as mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani did almost everything that any conservative Republican would hope could get done in New York City," said Barbour, who was chairman of the RNC the year Rudy was first elected mayor. Giuliani was in Mississippi to discuss emergency preparedness, a topic that both leaders are familiar with given their experiences with 9/11 and Katrina. Both were praised for their leadership during crisis.

Giuliani's visit also sparked speculation that Barbour could be tapped as a VP, because as a solid Southern conservative with strong Washington connections, Barbour would seem to fit the mold of the type of running-mate Giuliani would need to choose in order to help pacify those conservatives who have a beef with his candidacy.

Asked about the possibility by the AP, Barbour, who is running for re-election, was predictably dismissive of speculation that he may not serve out his full second term. "I don't think anybody's going to ask me to run for vice president with them," Barbour said. "If you're the Republican candidate for president, why would you pick somebody from Mississippi to be your vice president? If the Republican candidate for president doesn't carry Mississippi, he ain't going to carry three states."

Meanwhile, Giuliani said, "Gov. Barbour will be on the top of everybody's list. But Gov. Barbour is, you know, running for re-election and it would be presumptuous for anybody to be thinking who ... a vice presidential candidate is going to be."