The new Politico has a story out today quoting several skeptics who doubt that Rudy Giuliani will actually run for president, arguing that he's displaying the same attitude that he did in 2000, when he seemed to be dragging his feet in running for Senate against Hillary Clinton before ultimately dropping out. But I think those doubters are overlooking one aspect of his personality that will likely make his decision different this time around: his big ego. Giuliani, for better or worse, needs to be running the show. A lot of people in
Also, as far as the 2000 race, it's worth remembering that when he dropped out, Giuliani had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Anybody who has a friend or family member who has undergone treatment for this understands how mentally, emotionally, and physically draining the process can be. So, it's not surprising that he would decide he couldn't undergo treatment, remain mayor, and run a high-profile Senate campaign against a sitting first lady.
(Ben Smith co-authored the Politico story, and he was the same reporter who disclosed the leaked Rudy campaign memo that caused a stir earlier this month. Politco has now posted the entire memo online, and Smith offers a guide to the document here.)