Recently, the news on the Republican side has been dominated by Huckabee’s surge, Romney’s speech, and the battle between the two Iowa frontrunners. When Giuliani has been in the news, it has concerned the unflattering issue of security for Judith and himself. To put it in terms he might use himself, instead of remaining on offense, recently he has been very much on defense. Not surprisingly, he’s seen his national lead nearly evaporate. The last time his national standing was threatened was after Fred Thompson’s entry into the race in September, and Giuliani was able to reassert himself by seizing on the controversy over the MoveOn “Betray Us” ad and demanding the same discount from the NY Times. Perhaps there are some advantages to laying low for the time being while others duke it out, and mounting a late surge when the moment is right, but that seems risky to me. In about an hour, he’ll mix it up with his rivals in Iowa, and he’ll need a commanding performance to reestablish himself as the frontrunner.