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.