Discussion has begun on the 2012 primary calendar.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Representatives from some of the top 2008 GOP presidential campaigns gathered in Washington, D.C. Thursday to urge the Republican National Committee to lock in a 2012 primary calendar as early as possible to avoid the confusion that dogged the early stages of last year's nomination contest. One campaign manager took his recommendations a step further and suggested ending the traditional first-in-the-nation statuses of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

An RNC panel headed by party chairman Michael Steele invited the campaigns to share their views as it considers numerous possible changes to the process the party will use to nominate a candidate to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012.

Mike DuHaime, the 2008 campaign manager for former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told the panel that the three early states of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina should continue to hold contests early in the process, but not necessarily as the first three contests.

"I believe there needs to be greater decision-making authority given to states beyond the early states," said DuHaime, referring to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. "If you win two out of three states, those have been our nominees. With that, 47 other states don't have the same say."

"I think that is ultimately not in the best interests of the party," he added.

DuHaime went on to say that the early phase of the nomination calendar should be more geographically and ethnically diverse and that doing so could make the party more competitive in general elections.
DuHaime's candidate did not campaign heavily in the early states and instead focused his time and energy on later contests.

Former Huckabee presidential campaign manager Chip Saltsman, whose candidate won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, defended the role of the traditional early states.

"I think it's very important and crucial to have Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina early on in the process," he said.

Saltsman said that he has seen during his experiences in Iowa from previous campaigns "just how seriously folks in those states take the process. Not that the other 47 states don't. It's an opportunity for any candidate, no matter how rich, no matter how poor, no matter how new, and no matter who's been running for eight years."

"This is making our candidates better candidates," Saltsman added.

The campaigns all agreed that regardless of what the calendar eventually looks like, it will be important to lock in the schedule early so that candidates can plan and strategize accordingly. In 2008, both the Republican and Democratic primary calendars were thrown into disarray when Michigan and Florida moved their contests earlier in the process to challenge the early positioning of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

"This is something that I don't know if there's a perfect solution, but there needs to be a solution," said Saltsman. "Set the rules. Set them fair. Let [the presidential campaigns] know what they are. And set them in a way that don't change."

Beth Myers, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's 2008 campaign manager, echoed a similar sentiment.

"I am of the belief that a campaign can plan for any calendar, but that certainty is what matters," she said in a written statement submitted to the panel. "In other words, my primary recommendation would be that the calendar is set as early as possible so that it is known by all campaigns."

Myers did not address the politically sensitive issue of whether Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina should remain as the first contests, but she did suggest a later start for the primary season, which began on January 3 in 2008, the earliest start of any presidential primary season in history.

"The one complaint we heard more than any other was that it started too close to the holidays," she said. "I would urge you to mandate a start in late February or early March."

Saltzman suggested late January as a starting point.

The RNC invited all the 2008 GOP presidential campaigns to provide feedback for Thursday's forum. The Huckabee, Giuliani and Duncan Hunter campaigns sent representatives to testify in person. The Romney, Ron Paul and Fred Thompson campaigns submitted written statements. The remainder of the 2008 GOP field, including the campaign of Sen. John McCain, did not respond to the invitation.

The RNC is expected to finalize its rules governing the nomination process at its summer meeting next year.

Poll: Giuliani on top in possible 2010 Senate showdown.

(CNN) – A new poll of New York state voters indicates Rudy Giuliani leads incumbent Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a hypothetical Senate race.

According to a Marist College survey released Thursday afternoon, 54 percent of registered voters in New York support the former New York City mayor for Senate, with four in 10 backing Gillibrand, a Democratic congresswoman from upstate New York who was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's former Senate seat. Gillibrand is running in 2010 to serve the final two years of Clinton's term.

The poll indicates that Giuliani would top former New York State Gov. George Pataki 71 percent to 24 percent in a hypothetical Republican Senate primary next year. In September, Pataki wouldn't say if he was interested in making a bid for the senate seat held by Gillibrand. Earlier this year, fellow Republican Rep. Peter King officially announced that he would not challenge Gillbrand next year.

According to the poll, Giuliani leads Gillibrand overwhelmingly among registered Republicans, tops her by 14 points among independents, and trails her by 26 points among registered Democrats. The survey indicates that New York City voters are divided between Giuliani and Gillibrand.

The Marist College poll was conducted November 12, 16 and 17, with 805 registered New York state voters questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

The poll's release comes as a spokeswoman for Giuliani says the former mayor has not made up his mind about running for New York governor next year. Maria Comella was responding to a Thurday New York Times report that quoted unnamed sources saying Giuliani had decided not to run for New York governor in 2010.

There's speculation that if Giuliani decided against a run for governor, he might consider making a bid for the Senate. Top New York Republicans have reportedly urged Giuliani to run for the Senate in 2010.

Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

Giuliani spokeswoman: No decision yet.

(CNN) - A spokeswoman for Rudy Giuliani says that the former New York City mayor has not made up his mind about running for governor next year.

Maria Comella's comments were in response to report Thursday in the New York Times that Giuliani had decided not to run for New York governor in 2010, according to people who have been told of his decision.

"Rudy has a history of making up his own mind and has no problem speaking it. When Mayor Giuliani makes a decision about serving in public office, he will inform New Yorkers on his own," said Comella in a statement.

Recent polls of New York State voters indicate that Giuliani holds a wide lead over former Rep. Rick Lazio, the only Republican to have declared a gubernatorial bid, in a hypothetical 2010 GOP primary match-up.

According to the surveys, Giuliani has a double-digit advantage over incumbent Democratic Gov. David Paterson in a hypothetical general election faceoff. But the polls suggest that New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who has not indicated if he wants to run for governor, tops Giuliani by 10-12 points. Cuomo also easily beats Paterson in a possible Democratic primary, according to those surveys.

The polls indicate that New Yorkers have an overall favorable opinion of the former New York City mayor.

Sunday on CNN's State of the Union with John King, Giuliani said he had not yet made up his mind regarding a run. He had previously indicated that he would make a decision before the end of the year.

Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn

(CNN) – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will headline a conference call Wednesday with national reporters to criticize the Obama administration's decision to hold Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial in New York.

The call is being organized by the Republican National Committee.

Giuliani has been very vocal, including in an interview Sunday on CNN's State of the Union with John King, about his opposition to having the trial take place in New York.

Follow Mark Preston on Twitter: @prestoncnn

Former New York City Mayor Giuliani said Sunday that former Alaska Gov. Palin got a positive reception even in a Democratic stronghold like New York.

(CNN) – A prominent, socially moderate Republican said Sunday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has achieved iconic status with the Republican Party’s conservative base, is an asset to the GOP.

“I think Sarah Palin is great for the Republican Party,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in an interview that aired on CNN’s State of the Union.

Giuliani said Palin generates a lot of enthusiasm for the party which has struggled to define itself and identify its leading voices after the McCain-Palin ticket lost its White House bid a year ago.

“She gets a tremendous reception even here in Democratic New York,” Giuliani, who hosted Palin at a New York Yankees game, told CNN’s John King.

“We’re very far away from a 2012 election,” Giuliani added, “Right now, I like figures who are creating interest in the Republican Party.

“Given the decisions that the Obama administration is making, particularly on this area of terrorism which concerns me probably more than any other, we’re going to need some pretty strong alternatives in 2012. I don’t know if it’ll be Sarah Palin or someone else. But right now it’s [about] developing interest in a Republican Party and we need a two-party system and we need a healthy one.”

Giuliani said he had not made any decision yet about whether he will seek the White House again in 2012 or run for New York governor. Asked when he had to make that decision, Giuliani told King “Not today, not this morning.”

Former New York City Mayor Giuliani said Sunday that former Alaska Gov. Palin got a positive reception even in a Democratic stronghold like New York.

(CNN) – A prominent, socially moderate Republican said Sunday that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has achieved iconic status with the Republican Party’s conservative base, is an asset to the GOP.

“I think Sarah Palin is great for the Republican Party,” former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said in an interview that aired on CNN’s State of the Union.

Giuliani said Palin generates a lot of enthusiasm for the party which has struggled to define itself and identify its leading voices after the McCain-Palin ticket lost its White House bid a year ago.

“She gets a tremendous reception even here in Democratic New York,” Giuliani, who hosted Palin at a New York Yankees game, told CNN’s John King.

“We’re very far away from a 2012 election,” Giuliani added, “Right now, I like figures who are creating interest in the Republican Party.

“Given the decisions that the Obama administration is making, particularly on this area of terrorism which concerns me probably more than any other, we’re going to need some pretty strong alternatives in 2012. I don’t know if it’ll be Sarah Palin or someone else. But right now it’s [about] developing interest in a Republican Party and we need a two-party system and we need a healthy one.”

Giuliani said he had not made any decision yet about whether he will seek the White House again in 2012 or run for New York governor. Asked when he had to make that decision, Giuliani told King “Not today, not this morning.”

(CNN) – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani strayed from the facts in discussing the discord within the Republican Party caused by the insurgent candidacy of Doug Hoffman, a Republican who chose to run on the Conservative Party ticket in the recent special election for New York’s 23rd congressional district.

Talking about the Bill Owens, the Democrat who won the special election, Giuliani erroneously said Owens had voted against the Democratically sponsored health care reform bill that recently passed in the House of Representatives.

Prior to Owens' win, Doug Hoffman’s candidacy, which was supported by prominent conservatives including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, exposed a growing rift in the Republican party between conservatives represented by Hoffman and moderates represented by New York Assemblywoman Dede Scozzafava. After lagging in polls and fund raising and being the target of attacks from both conservatives and Democrats, Scozzafava abruptly decided to drop out of the race just days before Election Day. After receiving Scozzafava’s last minute endorsement, Bill Owens, a Democrat, won a seat occupied by Republicans for more than a century.

Giuliani told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King that the nascent GOP civil war sparked by the NY-23 race was “not a good precedent for the party.”

“That’s the way you can allow Democrats to win even if the public has turned against them on certain things. I think in that particular case, I know that district. That’s a district that is very concerned about Obama’s health care [plan].”

“You see the Democrat has voted against the Obama health care program. That’s a district where we could elect a Republican if we get our act together and let’s hope don’t repeat that too often because then we surely won’t be a majority party.”

Giuliani’s comment about Bill Owens’ vote on the House health care reform bill was in error. Owens voted in favor of the bill.

Instead of bringing suspected mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects to Manhattan federal court, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says military tribunals are better suited to try those accused of terrorism.

“A military tribunal is certainly fair,” Giuliani said in an interview that aired Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union, “it’s a great example to the rest of the world. The tradition for over 150 years has been to use those military tribunals.”

Giuliani said that law enforcement officials had made a mistake in using civilian federal court to try those accused of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

“To treat the 1993 bombing as if it were just a criminal act – just one of the 1,973 murders in the city of New York that year – was a big mistake. So, basically the Obama administration is repeating the mistake of history. . . . It should’ve been treated as an act of war.

“And it’s part of a bigger picture here,” Giuliani told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, “it’s part of Barack Obama deciding that we’re not at war with terrorism any longer. So this is not treated as if it was an act of war which is what it should be treated like.”

The former New York City mayor also said the Obama administration’s decision not to use the phrase “war on terror,” a phrase coined and used frequently by the previous administration, was problematic.

“The only problem with [Obama’s approach], John, is the terrorists haven’t stopped going to war with us. It may be that the Obama administration doesn’t think that we’re at war with them but they’re very clear on the fact that they’re at war with us.”

Giuliani also said the trials will pose security problems for New York City including additional threats in a city already regarded as a target, millions of dollars in additional security costs, and the inconvenience of having to close areas around the federal courthouse where the trials will take place.

Because military tribunals are available as an alternative means to try terrorism suspects, Giuliani said Holder’s decision posed “unnecessary risk” to the city and gave “unnecessary advantage” to the suspected terrorists.

“If it was necessary, if this was the only option, well, of course, I’d be in favor of it,” Giuliani told King.

Updated: 1:57 p.m.

Sen. John McCain is holding a rally with Bob McDonnell on Saturday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – As one of only two statewide campaigns in the 2009 election cycle, the Virginia governor's race has seen a parade of national political stars make the trip to the Old Dominion.

Late Friday, Creigh Deeds' campaign announced that President Obama would join the Democratic candidate on the trail at the end of the month. Obama's 2008 presidential rival will get there first: On Saturday, Sen. John McCain will make his second trip to Virginia on behalf of Republican candidate Bob McDonnell. McCain, a decorated Navy hero, will help McDonnell make a closing pitch to veterans at a rally in Hampton Roads, a region of the state with a heavy military population.

McCain isn't the only high-profile Republican who has stumped for the former Virginia Attorney General: Two other former presidential candidates - former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee - have twice visited the state twice to campaign. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani also raised money for McDonnell.

Along with Romney and Huckabee, McDonnell has welcomed a number of top Republicans who may run for president in 2012. That list includes Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele campaigned with McDonnell in May.

Creigh Deeds, who spent the first half of the year in a three-way fight for the Democratic nomination, hasn't had an army of national figures campaign with him. But several prominent Democrats have chipped in to help.

On Friday, former Vice President Al Gore held a fundraiser for Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds. And next week, former President Bill Clinton will appear at a rally for Deeds along with longtime Clinton friend Terry McAuliffe, who sought the Democratic nomination before losing to Deeds in June.

The party's leader, President Obama, will make his second trip to Virginia to lend a hand, the Deeds campaign announced Friday. The visit will be Obama's second on the trail for the gubernatorial candidate: he campaigned for Deeds and hosted a fundraiser for him in August Vice President Joe Biden and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, have both stumped for Deeds.

For a campaign thought by many to be a referendum of the Obama presidency, the election will largely turn by local issues - specifically transportation and the economy. Deeds has also tried to make the race about women's issues by highlighting a conservative thesis written by McDonnell in which he called working women "detrimental" to families.

Entering October, McDonnell held a significant cash advantage, with $4.5 million on hand to Deeds' $2.7 million.

– CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby contributed to this report

Meg Whitman has been endorsed by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in her bid to become California's next governor.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Rudy Giuliani will support former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's California gubernatorial bid, her campaign announced Wednesday.

Giuliani, a former Republican presidential candidate who is mulling his own run for governor in New York, called Whitman "simply the best person to lead our country's largest state."

"Meg's disciplined focus on creating jobs, cutting wasteful spending and improving education is the right course for California," Giuliani said in a statement. "I also believe that Meg Whitman can help reenergize the grassroots of the Republican Party."

The current California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is term-limited. Whitman will face State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former Rep. Tom Campbell in the 2010 Republican primary.

Most recent polls of Republican voters in New York suggest Giuliani would trounce Lazio in a hypothetical GOP primary matchup.

NEW YORK (CNN) – This time, Rick Lazio isn't deferring to Rudy Giuliani.

The former Republican congressman from Long Island is expected Tuesday morning to formally announce that he's running for governor of New York. The announcement, scheduled to take place in Albany, New York, comes as former New York City mayor and 2008 GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani contemplates his own bid for the governor's office. Giuliani has said he will decide on a run later this year.

It was a different story in the 2000 campaign, when Lazio deferred to Giuliani in the race to take on then-First Lady Hillary Clinton for an open U.S. Senate seat in New York. Lazio held back as Giuliani declared his candidacy. When Giuliani dropped out of the race five months before Election Day, Lazio stepped in as his replacement, losing to Clinton in by 12 points.

Most recent polls of Republican voters in New York suggest Giuliani would trounce Lazio in a hypothetical GOP primary matchup. Those same surveys indicate Lazio and New York Gov. David Paterson are deadlocked in a hypothetical general election matchup.

Gillibrand's finance director fired off an e-mail to supporters asking them to open their wallets to help fend off 'one of the biggest attack dogs' in the GOP.

(CNN) – With rumors flying that Rudy Giuliani might make a run at Kirsten Gillbrand's Senate seat next year, the New York Democrat's campaign isn't wasting a chance to raise some cash off the polarizing former mayor.

Just hours after the New York Post reported that Giuliani is being urged by state Republicans to enter the Senate race, Gillibrand's finance director Russ Offinger fired off an e-mail to supporters on Monday asking them to open their wallets to help fend off "one of the biggest attack dogs" in the GOP.

"From day one of her appointment to replace Hillary Clinton, Republicans have set their eyes on this seat," Offinger said in the e-mail. "Now they are prepared to run one of the biggest attack dogs in the Republican Party against Kirsten. "

Calling Gillibrand "a leading progressive voice in the Senate," the note urges readers to click on a link to donate to the campaign.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that President Obama's presidency so far has been "much worse" and "much further to the left" than he had initially expected.

Specifically going after the stimulus plan, the former New York City mayor said most of the money "has been spent for political priorities." He also criticized Obama for bailing out General Motors, saying that in his "worst fears of the Obama administration," he never thought the president would "nationalize" the auto industry.

"It was a massive, unprecedented kind of Christmas tree of Democratic programs that were being supported," Giuliani said in an interview with Wolf Blitzer on the Situation Room. "It was a spending at a level at which I've never seen before. I think what he has added to the debt is catastrophic. I think it will create enormous burdens for our children. And I think it creates the real risk of inflation."

Giuliani also said that Obama's health care plan could have a "destructive impact on the American system as we know it." In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute earlier on Wednesday, Giuliani reportedly suggested that Republicans back down and let the Democrats figure out the specifics.

"I think we should allow the Democrats to battle it out without getting too involved in their battle, because then when we get involved, the media realizes, or at least a big portion of the media realizes, they hate us more and then we become the target," Giuliani said, according to HuffingtonPost.com. "So, if we let them battle it must be something really wrong if Democrats are disagreeing."

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tells CNN that he's thinking about running for governor of New York next year.

(CNN) - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tells CNN that he's thinking about running for governor of New York next year, but that's as far as he's going right now.

Asked by CNN's John Roberts on American Morning if he's seriously considering a gubernatorial bid, Giuliani said "I'm thinking about it but I don't know if I'm at the point of seriously considering it. It's a little too early."

Giuliani, who spent much of 2007 and the first month of 2008 running for the Republican presidential nomination, is often mentioned as a possible contender to take on incumbent Democratic Gov. David Paterson in next year's contest.

Recent polls of New York State voters indicate that if the election where held today, Giuliani would beat the unpopular Paterson. But surveys also suggest if New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo were the Democratic nominee, Cuomo would beat Giuliani in a hypothetical general election match up.

Last Wednesday Giuliani fueled speculation that he is considering a run for governor with a high-profile op-ed in the New York Times. Giuliani denied the op-ed - in which he proposes a series of measures to fix the state's gridlocked government - was meant to be a signal he is actively interested in running for governor in 2010.

"I know how to send signals, if I wanted to I would do it." Giuliani said. "I am not leaning [in either direction]."

In the op-ed, which Giuliani says is "not a partisan criticism," the former Republican presidential candidate calls for a statewide constitutional convention to institute a series of reforms, including changes in the budgeting process, term-limits for law makers, and campaign finance reform.

– CNN's Paul Steinhauser and Alexander Mooney contributed to this report

Giuliani hasn't decided on a run for governor.

(CNN) - Rudy Giuliani fueled speculation Wednesday he is considering a run for governor with a high-profile op-ed in the New York Times, but the former mayor told reporters he hasn't decided one way or another on a potential run just yet.

In a conference call Wednesday morning, Giuliani denied the op-ed - in which he proposes a series of measures to fix the state's gridlocked government - was meant to be a signal he is actively interested in running for governor in 2010.

"I know how to send signals, if I wanted to I would do it." Giuliani said. "I am not leaning [in either direction]."

In the op-ed, which Giuliani says is "not a partisan criticism," the former Republican presidential candidate calls for a statewide constitutional convention to institute a series of reforms, including changes in the budgeting process, term-limits for law makers, and campaign finance reform.

Two polls out this week show Giuliani would easily top current New York Gov. David Paterson in an election match-up, but would face a considerably more challenging bid against the state's attorney general, Andrew Cuomo.

Giuliani largely withheld criticizing Paterson directly Wednesday. "There is enough blame for all to share," he said.

Rudy Giuliani wasn't a fan of Obama's videotaped message to Iran.

(CNN) – Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said Monday that President Obama emboldened terrorists and looked like a pushover in his recent videotaped remarks to the people of Iran.

"Sending a videotaped message into Iran and the language and tone of that message, in my view, is the kind of thing terrorists look at and say 'we can take advantage, we can push,'" Giuliani said on MSNBC.

"I think it was a mistake. It needed balancing language about his recognition of the complete lack of freedom within Iran, even as a strong message to the Iranian people," he said of the White House video, which was posted online last month. "You get one chance to talk to the people of Iran. They're watching. You want to create a reformist element in Iran and you don't speak to that?"

"This is why terrorist would say, 'we can take advantage of a guy like that,'" he said.

Giuliani argued that because Obama failed to call out the Iranian government directly on matters such as human rights violations and the oppression of women, Iranian reformers probably became disheartened. "I think it turns off the reformers when they listen to a one-sided messages and they dont hear very strong language about what's going in their country," he said.

"He didn't talk about any of the things we need from them," Giuliani said of the president. "He is talking to a dictatorship. He is not talking to a liberal democracy. If you listen to that, you would think he was talking to a liberal democracy."

Just 26 percent of the state’s registered voters questioned in a Marist poll released Tuesday say they approve of Gov. David Paterson’s job performance.

(CNN) - More bad news for New York Gov. David Paterson: in a new poll, the governor's approval rating plummeted 20 points in a month.

Just 26 percent of the state’s registered voters questioned in a Marist poll released Tuesday say they approve of Paterson’s job performance - the lowest approval rating a New York state governor has received in the poll’s 30-year history, and a sharp decline from the governor’s January showing.

Fifty-three percent of those polled said they would vote for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani if the 2010 vote for governor were held today, while 38 percent said they would back Paterson.

Paterson is losing ground against the former Republican presidential candidate – the two were in a statistical standoff in January's poll, and in November's poll the governor maintained a 51 percent to 41 percent lead.

The sitting governor does fare better than former congressman Rick Lazio. Forty-seven percent would support Paterson in a run against Lazio, while 35 percent would back the congressman. Eighteen percent are undecided.

The state’s financial woes appear to be the reason for Paterson’s sinking approval ratings: Nearly six in 10 of those surveyed say they are dissatisfied with how Paterson is managing New York's budget. Only 30 percent approve of how the governor is handling the state’s financial affairs.

And how do the voters feel about the direction New York is heading? Not great. Sixty-five percent are not happy with the trajectory of the Empire State, with just 27 percent reporting that the state is moving along the right path.

But there may be a silver lining for Paterson: 77 percent of those surveyed think the governor is working hard, and 62 percent believe he understands the problems of voters. Fourty-four percent think Paterson's a good leader.

The Marist poll was conducted February 25-26, with 1,045 New York state registered voters questioned by telephone. The survey's sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Rudy Giuliani is backing New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie.

(CNN) – New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie picked up the support of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani on Tuesday, one more sign that the GOP establishment is coalescing around the former U.S. attorney as he hopes to unseat Democrat John Corzine.

Though Christie isn’t the only man running for the Republican nomination, he’s quickly cemented his status as the frontrunner since entering the race earlier this month, and has picked up the backing of hundreds of Republican state officials. Last week, he secured the endorsement of New Jersey’s former governor Tom Kean.

With Corzine looking vulnerable - he trailed Christie by six points in a recent Quinnipiac poll - prominent national Republicans like Giuliani are expected to lend their star power to the race.

Giuliani said his fellow former prosecutor is “a decisive leader who knows how to make the tough decisions.” He also praised Christie’s commitment to urban revitalization, a central plank of his gubernatorial bid.

“I am humbled to have the support of Mayor Giuliani, whose strong leadership made New York City a better place and positively affected the lives of so many New Jerseyans,” Christie said.

Giuliani has also raised money for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell, who, like Christie, is aiming to take back the office from Democrats this fall.

Could Giuliani be headed for Albany?

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Rudy Giuliani is remaining coy on the prospect of a 2010 run against New York Gov. David Paterson.

"It's too early," the former New York City mayor said on CNN's American Morning Tuesday. "The governor has a big job. He doesn't need a two-year election campaign. I think he should be given every opportunity to do the very best he can for the state, and then we can see about it six months from now, eight months from now."

Two months ago, in an interview on CNN, Giuliani said he wasn't ruling out a bid in 2010 for governor of the Empire State.

A poll of New York State voters conducted by Sienna College in November suggested that Paterson would top Giuliani by 6 points in a hypothetical head-to-head match up in 2010.

On Tuesday, the former Republican presidential candidate also weighed in on a major decision facing his state's Democratic governor: whom to select to replace Hillary Clinton, who will step down from her senate seat if confirmed, as expected, as secretary of state.

"The governor's gotta go on his instinct," Giuliani told CNN. "He knows what he needs in Washington. If he thinks it's Caroline Kennedy, with the group of experiences she has and contacts and relation with the president, that's fine. If he thinks it's an Andrew Cuomo (New York's attorney general) who has government experience, Washington, New York, very experienced, then he goes with him, and he is going to get tested on it very quickly. I think a lot is riding on it for him, so he will make the best judgment he can."

Whoever is appointed to fill Clinton's seat would join Paterson on the ballot in 2010.

Rudy Giuliani will hit the campaign trail with Saxby Chambliss in Georgia on Tuesday.

(CNN) – Add Rudy Giuliani to the list of big name surrogates who are making campaign cameos in the last remaining Senate election this year.

The former New York Mayor and Republican presidential candidate teams up today with Saxby Chambliss at campaign events in Woodstock, Georgia.

Chambliss is the freshman Republican senator from Georgia who is fighting to keep his seat. He faces a runoff election next Tuesday against Jim Martin, a former Georgia state lawmaker.

Chambliss won a plurality of the vote on Election Day three weeks ago, but Georgia state law calls for the winner to grab 50 percent plus one vote. Due to the inclusion of a third-party candidate, Chambliss fell just shy of that threshold, forcing a runoff.

Giuliani is the latest former GOP presidential candidate to stump with Chambliss. Sen. John McCain campaigned with Chambliss just nine days after losing the presidential election to Barack Obama. Nine days ago, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who ran for the Republican nomination before dropping out in March and backing McCain, campaigned with Chambliss. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney teamed up with Chambliss on Friday. Romney ended his presidential bid in February and backed McCain.

Giuliani dropped out of the Republican presidential race in late January and immediately endorsed McCain. Giuliani, Huckabee and Romney could all make another stab at presidential politics in 2012.

Martin is also getting some major-league help. Last week former President Bill Clinton campaigned with Martin in Atlanta and Sunday former Vice President Al Gore teamed up with Martin.

Do these big name surrogates make a difference?

"Generally they can help boost turnout, because of all the media attention. Turnout in a runoff election is often very low compared to a presidential election and each side needs to get as many of their voters to the polls as possible," says CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider.

Democrats have so far picked up seven Senate seats in this year's election, with the Republican seats in Georgia and Minnesota still undecided. In Minnesota, freshman GOP Sen. Norm Coleman topped his Democratic challenger, Al Franken, by just 215 votes, triggering an automatic recount which will extend into December.

If Democrats take both remaining contests, they'll reach their pre-election goal of controlling 60 Senate seats, which would be a filibuster-proof majority. A filibuster is a move by the minority party in the Senate that basically brings the chamber to a standstill by blocking votes on legislation.

Giuliani left open the prospect of another White House run.

(CNN) - Rudy Giuliani told CNN Sunday the failure of his presidential bid this year didn’t mark the end of his political career — and that his future could include another White House run.

The former New York City mayor said that the economic environment this year may have presented too big an obstacle for any Republican presidential hopeful to overcome.

"If you had told me a year ago we would have a major economic crisis, I would've told you it would be very hard for any Republican," he said.

He wouldn’t rule out another run for the top spot. "No one knows whether you'll do something again until you come to the point of: 'Is it possible to do it again? Would you have a chance of winning?’ I mean, those are just things you can't evaluate right now," Giuliani said during a question-and-answer session with CNN International’s Hala Gourani.

Giuliani also wouldn’t rule out the the idea of serving in an Obama administration, though he said it was “unlikely” to happen.

"You never answer questions like that hypothetically," he said. “Very few people ever turn the president down, but that's an unrealistic situation."

Giuliani also left open the prospect of a run for New York governor against Democrat David Paterson. "I don't know if I'd be interested in it,” he said, when asked about the possibility of a gubernatorial bid. “But I'll think about it when the right time comes along."

Paterson, who took over as governor after Eliot Spitzer’s resignation, is planning a run in his own right in two years.

Giuliani is in a new robocall for McCain.

(CNN) – Rudy Giuliani is the star of a new robocall from the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee that seeks to portray Barack Obama as soft on crime.

In the new call, to be blasted to voters in several swing states, the former federal prosecutor and New York City mayor says Obama opposes "mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers."

"You need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers," Giuliani says in the call. "It's true, I read Obama's words myself. And recently, congressional liberals introduced a bill to eliminate mandatory prison sentences for violent criminals - trying to give liberal judges the power to decide whether criminals are sent to jail or set free."

"With priorities like these, we just can't trust the inexperience and judgment of Barack Obama and his liberal allies," Giuliani says.

Listen: Giuliani narrates the McCain/RNC's latest robocall

The Obama campaign did not have an immediate comment, but according to its Web site, the Illinois senator does support "reforming mandatory minimum prison sentences."

"Every leading expert body in criminal justice has opposed the use of mandatory minimum sentences, including the Sentencing Commission, the Judicial Conference, the American Bar Association, and leading criminal justice scholars," his Web site ways.

Giuliani's robocall comes a week after the Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign blasted a robocall to swing-state voters highlighting the Democratic presidential candidate's connection to 1960's radical William Ayers.

Those calls have drawn criticism from a handful of vulnerable Senate Republicans wary of turning off independent voters, including Maine's Susan Collins, Minnesota's Norm Coleman and Oregon's Gordon Smith.

Giuliani is in a new robocall for McCain.

(CNN) – Rudy Giuliani is the star of a new robocall from the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee that seeks to portray Barack Obama as soft on crime.

In the new call, to be blasted to voters in several swing states, the former federal prosecutor and New York City mayor says Obama opposes "mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers."

"You need to know that Barack Obama opposes mandatory prison sentences for sex offenders, drug dealers, and murderers," Giuliani says in the call. "It's true, I read Obama's words myself. And recently, congressional liberals introduced a bill to eliminate mandatory prison sentences for violent criminals - trying to give liberal judges the power to decide whether criminals are sent to jail or set free."

"With priorities like these, we just can't trust the inexperience and judgment of Barack Obama and his liberal allies," Giuliani says.

Listen: Giuliani narrates the McCain/RNC's latest robocall

The Obama campaign did not have an immediate comment, but according to its Web site, the Illinois senator does support "reforming mandatory minimum prison sentences."

"Every leading expert body in criminal justice has opposed the use of mandatory minimum sentences, including the Sentencing Commission, the Judicial Conference, the American Bar Association, and leading criminal justice scholars," his Web site ways.

Giuliani's robocall comes a week after the Republican National Committee and the McCain campaign blasted a robocall to swing-state voters highlighting the Democratic presidential candidate's connection to 1960's radical William Ayers.

Those calls have drawn criticism from a handful of vulnerable Senate Republicans wary of turning off independent voters, including Maine's Susan Collins, Minnesota's Norm Coleman and Oregon's Gordon Smith.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says Gov. Sarah Palin represents a new generation.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) - Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani joined the chorus of former Republican presidential hopefuls who praised John McCain at the GOP convention Wednesday.

Giuliani's speech came after spirited talks by Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, who both squared off against McCain in the presidential race.

Just like Huckabee and Romney, Giuliani fired pointed attacks at the Democratic ticket while pushing traditional Republican themes of security, freedom and smaller government.

Giuliani, who ended his own bid for the Republican presidential nomination in January after a disappointing finish in Florida, also defended presumptive nominee McCain's selection of a running mate.

Full story

Watch: Giuliani says Obama 'got it wrong' on Iraq.

ST. PAUL (CNN) – This speech is about mockery – and I wonder whether that’s appealing to voters. I really think this tone is going to turn a lot of voters off – it’s ugly, it’s bitter, it’s nasty. There is a bullying tone to this speech, and to Romney’s speech, and I just don’t think it works.

Watch: Giuliani says this is 'no time for on the job training'

Even less appealing: “When they gave up on Iraq, they gave up on America”? Now that’s insulting.

What they’re doing is re-running the 2004 campaign, which the Republicans won on the issue of terrorism. He’s saying the war on terror should be the supreme issue – but for most voters it’s the economy

ST PAUL (CNN) - The left wing and Hollywood celebrities are the true stars of the evening, prompting another chant of “USA!” from the crowd.

How did “USA” become a term of defiance and division? It sounds ugly, like they’re saying: “We’re real Americans – and you’re not.”

Giuliani, like Romney, relishes the attack. His language is stinging. The crowd keeps chanting “zero” – as in the talking point that Obama has no executive experience, and has never run anything. Except his own campaign. Obama beat the Clintons, and the inevitable candidacy – that’s not nothing.

Giuliani was joined by his wife, Judith, as he surveyed the podium at the Republican convention Tuesday.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is expected to come out swinging Wednesday, in a “compelling speech” intended to contrast the stark differences between presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his Democratic rival Barack Obama, a McCain campaign official told CNN.

“It’s red meat in the sense that it’s a very strong argument on why McCain is the better choice,” said the official, who previewed Giuliani’s address before the Republican National Convention.

Former governors and GOP presidential rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are also expected to address how McCain differs from Obama. With a critical look at Democrats, the speeches will address "why Washington’s broken" and how Republicans "must fix it."

“The speeches will be a little edgier tonight,” the official told CNN. Tonight, McCain will officially be nominated for the GOP nomination.

With speeches from Meg Whitman, former president and CEO of eBay, and Carly Fiorina, former chairman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, early in Wednesday night’s program, McCain officials say there will be a “big concentration on economic issues.”

While Whitman and Fiorina will not cover any new policy ground, the themes will “echo” McCain’s May speech entitled “2013,” where the Arizona senator maps out his first term achievements by 2013. Among the successes McCain envisions, “several years of robust economic growth” and winning the war in Iraq.

Watch Rudy Giuliani discuss Gov. Palin's record on American Morning.

(CNN) – They have both been mayors, but Rudy Giuliani pointed to Sarah Palin’s experience in the last 21 months as governor of Alaska to respond to concerns about whether she has enough experience to be vice president.

“She’s one of the most successful governors in the country,” the former presidential candidate told John Roberts on American Morning Wednesday. “She has a record of significant change already. She’s lowered the budget. She’s lowered taxes. She’s taken on the oil companies. She’s taken on corrupt Republicans, got them thrown out of office.”

Giuliani also told Roberts he was not troubled by Palin’s conservative social views.

“I understand that I’m part of a party that doesn’t agree with me on everything,” Giuliani, who supports abortion rights, said. “But I agree on the main principles. I consider the main principles to be economic policy, national security, lowering taxes, trying to keep the economy progressive, a growth economy.” There are “vast differences” between the Democratic and Republican presidential tickets “with regard to all of those things,” Giuliani also said.

He also discussed Palin’s track record on earmarks and her religiously-tinged views on the American military’s mission in Iraq.

Giuliani and Palin are both set to address the Republican convention Wednesday night.

Watch: Giuliani on American Morning

Giuliani endorsed McCain after ending his own presidential campaign.

ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will have a speaking role at the Republican National Convention, a GOP official tells CNN.

Giuliani was scheduled to deliver the keynote address Tuesday, but Hurricane Gustav forced Republicans to alter the program. Giuliani will speak later in the week.

Watch Rudy Giuliani's interview with CNN.

(CNN)– Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani joined the choir of ardent Hillary Clinton supporters Tuesday night– asking why Barack Obama passed up the New York senator for his number two spot.

"I just think that they made a big mistake in the choice that they made," Giuliani told a CNN panel at the Democratic National Convention. "It's a no-brainer. [Hillary Clinton] got 18 million votes, Joe [Biden] got 9,000 votes...The normal political thing to do in terms of the best decision to make to win would have been to pick Hillary Clinton," Giuliani said urging the presumptive Democratic nominee to give an explanation to unhappy Democrats.

Giuliani has been an outspoken supporter of the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain since abandoning his own presidential bid - emphasizing the Arizona senator's talking points on various political broadcasts.

Last week, during his first conference call as a surrogate for McCain, the former New York mayor had a difficult time when the subject veered away from the intended foreign policy talk. Giuliani accused Daniel Kurtzer, an Obama adviser and former U.S. ambassador to Israel of engaging in a freelance “mission” to Syria - accusations at which the Obama campaign quickly fired back.

Asked Tuesday night if he would draw contrast between the two parties during his keynote address next week at the Republican National Convention, Giuliani said you can expect him to do exactly that.

"I'm sure there will be comparisons," Giuliani said. The choice is between "John McCain who has tremendous experience who has worked on both sides of the aisle, against a senator from Illinois [who is] one of the least-experienced candidates we ever had for president."

Giuliani is expected to be part of a news conference Wednesday, during the Democratic National Convention to discuss "why Barack Obama is wrong on national security," according to a media advisory.

Giuliani accused an Obama advisor of being on a freelance 'mission' Wednesday.

(CNN) - On his first campaign conference call as a surrogate for John McCain, Rudy Giuliani accused an unpaid advisor for Barack Obama’s presidential effort of engaging in a freelance diplomatic “mission” when he met with a Syrian official last month in Damascus.

Giuliani said Daniel Kurtzer, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel who also served as the first Jewish U.S. ambassador to Egypt, had met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Kurtzer did not meet with the Syrian president during his trip, which was not connected to Obama’s presidential effort.

He did meet with Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moallem while in Damascus for a legal conference co-sponsored by the American Bar Association and paid for by donations from a Canadian oil company and Syrian corporations.

Discussions should only take place "when you have confidence that you're not being used," said Giuliani, charging that Kurtzer’s actions might be a result of an Obama policy of “negotiating with dictators without precondition."

Listen: Giuliani takes aim at Obama's advisor

Kurtzer, who advises Obama’s campaign on Middle East affairs, has been an advocate of diplomatic engagement with the government of Syria.

McCain foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann, asked about his lobbying work on behalf of the nation of Georgia, responded that his actions were different because they were not “covert.” The reporter who asked the question, Ron Kampeas of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, abruptly dropped off the call. He later alleged that the campaign had cut him off.

(UPDATE with Obama campaign response after the jump)

UPDATE: Obama foreign policy advisor Susan Rice responded to Giuliani’s charges on a Wednesday afternoon conference call with reporters, saying “there is nothing but falsehood and distortion” in the comments.

“[Kurtzer] did not represent the Obama campaign or Senator Obama, he went as a private citizen. And so John McCain who himself sat down one-on-one and had a meeting with the leader of the same country in its most active moment of support for terrorism – to criticize a private citizen for taking a private trip is absolutely outrageous and dishonest,” said Rice. “If John McCain wants to be held accountable for the travel and the conduct of every private citizen who may have at one point or another offered him advice then let’s have that discussion.”

Watch Giuliani on American Morning Thursday.

(CNN) – Rudy Giuliani, former presidential candidate turned John McCain supporter, said Thursday that a Democrat could conceivably occupy the number 2 spot on the Republican presidential ticket.

“The reality is either way you might see something like that,” the former New York City mayor told CNN’s Kiran Chetry on American Morning when asked about talk of Sen. Barack Obama choosing a Republican like Sen. Chuck Hagel as his running mate.

Giuliani said he has not spoken with McCain about possibly choosing a Democratic running mate. “But, if you’re asking me is it possible in this day and age that you could have a ticket like that? I think so.”

While he conceded that he could think of “a couple” Democrats who might fit the bill as potential McCain VP’s, Giuliani said the decision was ultimately McCain’s.

Watch: Giuliani on American Morning

Rudy Giuliani visited Yankee Stadium with John McCain on Sunday.

NEW YORK (CNN) – Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Sunday Barack Obama’s overseas visit is only serving to highlight the candidate’s inexperience in world affairs.

The one-time Republican presidential candidate made the comments as he visited Yankee Stadium with presumptive GOP nominee John McCain.

On the field before the Yankees took on the Oakland A’s, Giuliani told reporters, “the fact that Barack Obama is now making his first tour, in essence, of the world is an indication that John McCain is the man with the experience. John doesn't have to go for the first or second time to these places. He has been going there for 20-30 years. He knows the world. He understands the world.”

Obama has previously visited Iraq and other countries overseas, but this was his first visit to Afghanistan.

Giuliani said, “Without any disrespect to the other side, he's just so far more experienced that I think America will elect him. I think the American people are going to take a look and say we have got to be very serious about this…we need a man that has experience and John McCain has that experience."

Criticizing Obama’s strategy on Iraq, the former mayor said, “I think if you look at Senator McCain's record on Iraq – you don't fail to elect him president. He was right about Iraq when almost everybody else was wrong. It has turned out that if we had caved in the way Barack Obama and the democrats wanted we would now have a defeat. America would have a defeat rather than a possible victory.”

John McCain, standing by Oakland Athletics' manager Bob Geren, takes a break from the trail for baseball.

NEW YORK (CNN) – Standing at home plate in the House that Ruth Built, John McCain put running for president in perspective: “It is like being in Double A and then all of a sudden you’re in Yankee Stadium.”

McCain attended Sunday’s Yankees-A’s game with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Before the game, the two went down on the field signing autographs posing for pictures and chatting with New York manager Joe Girardi and Oakland skipper Bob Geren.

The GOP presidential candidate wore his blue Navy hat, while Giuliani sported the traditional Yankee NY cap. They talked sports with the managers, with McCain telling them, “I really am a big sports nut because I was a mediocre high school athlete.”

Before settling in to watch the game, they toured the legendary Monument Park in left center field, with tributes to the greatest Yankee players.

McCain, an Arizona Diamondbacks fan, talked of watching his team in the 2001 World Series against Yankees with Giuliani, just a month after the 9-11 attacks. He often tells the story on the trail of being moved by the cheers Giuliani received from fans.

He told the YES Network as he sat in the Yankees dugout “it was an emotional time," saying, “I’ll never forget it as long as I live. Such an incredible time in our history.”

Giuliani told reporters before the game, “we have great memories, and very, very difficult memories of that period of time... Then I went out to Arizona with him for two games, and it was a very emotional World Series, that particular one. He's a good friend. We've also been to the Fiesta Bowl together, and I've gone to sporting events with John throughout the years. So, it's a little different now that he's a presidential candidate, but it's the same John McCain."

Asked whether runs for vice president or New York Governor might be in his future, Giuliani said, "I'm not thinking about any of those things. I'm thinking just about – I know you are! You have a right to think about it. And I have a right not to think about it because we've got an election right now to think about and get it done right."

McCain flew to Portland, Maine after the game where he has campaign events Monday.

Giuliani endorsed McCain after ending his own presidential campaign.

Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former presidential candidate turned McCain supporter, will be a guest today in “The Situation Room” and you can be a part of the interview. Does Mayor Giuliani agree with Sen. Lieberman that the next president will be tested early by a terrorist attack? Why does he think Sen. McCain will be a better president than Sen. Obama?

Send us your questions for Mayor Giuliani on video, and be sure to keep them clear and concise. Your videos could be used on air - and your views a part of the best political team on TV.

Click here to submit your question for Giuliani.

McCain's campaign has accused Obama of maintaining a 'September 10th mindset.'

(CNN) – John McCain and the Republican National Committee have issued sharp words for Barack Obama this week after Obama suggested in an interview that the United States can combat terrorism "within the constraints of the Constitution."

One McCain adviser said such comments demonstrate Obama’s foreign policy "weakness" and his "September 10th mindset."

But in consecutive days, the McCain campaign has attacked Obama's so-called "law enforcement approach" by offering up a pair of high-profile Republican surrogates who themselves have appeared to favor legal avenues for prosecuting terrorists.

The McCain campaign pressed their case against Obama on Thursday by convening a conference call with former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson.

Thompson accused Obama of being "inconsistent on matters of national security and foreign policy" and criticized Obama's support for last week's milestone Supreme Court ruling, which determined that terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay should be granted habeas corpus rights.

But during Thompson’s presidential run, he also appeared to support legal pathways if Osama bin Laden were captured.

Thompson told CNN’s John King in September: "I think bin Laden is more of a symbolism than he is anything else."

He also told the Associated Press in South Carolina last fall that if bin Laden were captured, "we've got due process to go through."

Thompson's campaign later clarified that the candidate meant to say that due process should be conducted through a special military court - and added that bin Laden should be treated like the the other detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Yesterday, the McCain camp convened a conference call with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who said it was a "real problem" for Obama to say that the criminal prosecution the four men accused of bombing the World Trade Center in 1993 was "correctly handled."

However, the Democratic National Committee was quick to point out that when Giuliani was mayor in 1994, he struck a slightly different chord: the terror convictions, he said, demonstrated "that New Yorkers won't meet violence with violence, but with a far greater weapon - the law."

Giuliani also told CBS Evening News at the time: "I think it shows you put terrorism on one side, you put our legal system on the other, and our legal system comes out ahead."

Watch Giuliani's interview from American Morning.

(CNN) - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani accused Barack Obama of "a softer and more defensive approach to terrorism," while Obama's foreign policy advisor Susan Rice called John McCain's stance on the issue "stupid and fundamentally failed," in separate interviews Wednesday on CNN's "American Morning."

This morning's back-and-forth between the two presidential campaigns was a continuation of a disagreement over how to prosecute detainees held at Guantanamo Bay that began earlier this week.

WATCH McCain and Obama spar over terrorism

The firestorm started when Obama on Monday praised last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling to put Guantanamo Bay detainees on trial, pointing to how the 1993 World Trade Center bombers were prosecuted.

"The real problem is his having said that in essence the 1993 situation was really correctly handled by it being a criminal prosecution," Giuliani said on a conference call with reporters shortly after the CNN interview. "The reality is it wasn't over with in 1993, it led to several other serious attacks on Americans and then of course the catastrophic attack of September 11."

Giuliani also criticized Obama for applauding the Supreme Court ruling to extend Habeas Corpus rights to Guantanamo detainees.

"I do not understand why at a time that we're facing this terrorist threat, we want to create new rights that didn't exist before for people who are alleged to be involved in terrorism or who are alleged to be enemy combatants," said Giuliani.

Rice not only aimed her fire at McCain, but Giuliani as well.

WATCH Obama campaign advisor calls McCain's terror policy 'stupid'

"What Rudy Giuliani and the McCain campaign are doing is straight out of the Karl Rove play book," she said in the CNN interview. "It's distorting, dishonest attacks that bear no semblance to reality. This administration and John McCain have for seven years pursued a stupid and fundamentally failed policy as we try to deal with the war on terrorism."

She later added, "First of all, we'll try to kill Osama bin Laden. But if Osama bin Laden or anybody else is captured, we have deal with that very forcefully. The way you deal with it is not to hold somebody in violation of our constitution, indefinitely in detention and never convict them."

CNN=Politics Daily is The Best Political Podcast from the Best Political Team.

(CNN) - It was a full house on Capitol Hill Thursday with the return of Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain to Washington, D.C.  Dana Bash reports on what the three presidential hopefuls were doing back on the Senate floor.

Can Sen. Clinton repair her image with the African-American community after controversial comments by Geraldine Ferraro and former president Bill Clinton have offended some African-Americans?  Suzanne Malveaux reports on what Clinton is doing to try to make amends.

While McCain was back on Capitol Hill, his former rival Rudy Giuliani was out on the trail stumping on McCain's behalf.  Mary Snow was with Giuliani and reports on the former New York City Mayor's efforts to help McCain.

Finally, the Florida Democratic Party has come up with a plan to re-do its presidential primary and ultimately have its delegation seated at the Democratic Party's nominating convention.  John Zarella reports on the Florida Democrats' plan and how some Democrats are reacting to it.

Click here to subscribe to CNN=Politics Daily.

–CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

More than 50 percent of New York Republicans said Giuliani's endorsement of McCain was important.

(CNN) - John McCain appears to owe Rudy Giuliani a big thank you.

Our exit polls show the former New York City mayor's endorsement of McCain played a key factor in his win there. Over half of New York Republicans said Giuliani's endorsement was important, and those voters went to McCain over Romney 63 percent to 22 percent. (Romney beat McCain by 47 percent to 29 percent among those voters who said Giuliani's endorsement was not important.)

The exit polls also indicate McCain inherited Giuliani's key voting bloc - those who are chiefly concerned with terrorism. Roughly half those voters went to McCain while only a third went to Romney.

And there's another interesting finding out of New York: McCain beat Romney among conservatives there - bucking the trend seen nationally and in other states. Forty-six percent of conservatives chose McCain while 37 percent went for Romney.

–CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) - John McCain and Rudy Giuliani will appear together Thursday night on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, a source close to the McCain campaign tells CNN.

Giuliani dropped his own White House bid Wednesday and endorsed McCain, calling the Arizona senator a "hero" who "is prepared to be president."

– CNN's Dana Bash

Giuliani will be stumping for the Arizona senator in Super Tuesday states.

SIMI VALLEY, California (CNN) - Rudy Giuliani – who led Republican national presidential polls for months – announced his endorsement of new GOP frontrunner John McCain Wednesday, calling the Arizona senator “an American hero."

Giuliani officially ended his run at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California – with John McCain and his wife Cindy by his side - after coming in third in Florida’s presidential primary Tuesday, behind McCain and former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney.

The former New York City mayor had staked his political future on a solid showing in the state after skipping the critical early-voting contests of Iowa and New Hampshire.

Giuliani and McCain have been friends for years, and had mostly restrained from attacking each other during the campaign. Both have faced mistrust from their party’s conservative base. And both share a common antipathy for McCain’s chief remaining rival, Mitt Romney.

During his announcement, he managed to work in a dig at Romney, who has been criticized by his opponents for shifting positions on some issues. Given his longtime admiration for McCain, said Giuliani, "If I'd endorsed anyone else, you would say I was flip-flopping."

Giuliani – whose run, like McCain's, had been based on strong foreign policy and national security themes - said he was completely invested in the senator’s run now, and would actively campaign for him wherever he was needed, in states like New York, New Jersey and Illinois.

Speaking after Giuliani, McCain called the former mayor “a national hero.”

“I'm honored by his friendship," he said.

The remaining Republicans meet tonight at the Reagan Library for a presidential debate co-hosted by CNN, the Politico and the Los Angeles Times.

–CNN Associate Political Editor Rebecca Sinderbrand

(CNN) - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is dropping out of the Republican presidential race for president and endorsing Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Developing

Giuliani will endorse McCain Wednesday, CNN sources confirm.

(CNN) - Rudy Giuliani will endorse John McCain Wednesday in California, two GOP sources familiar with the discussions told CNN Tuesday.

McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, had been in "ongoing discussions" with Rudy Giuliani's campaign about the former New York mayor ending his run and actively endorsing McCain's candidacy, according to a GOP official familiar with talks.

 Full story

Related video: Watch McCain's Florida victory speech

–CNN's Dana Bash and John King

(CNN) - Rudy Giuliani will endorse John McCain Wednesday in California, two GOP sources familiar with the discussions told CNN Tuesday.

McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis, had been in "ongoing discussions" with Rudy Giuliani's campaign about the former New York mayor ending his run and actively endorsing McCain's candidacy, according to a GOP official familiar with talks.

 Full story

Romney leads in ad spending in Florida.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Polls show Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney neck-and-neck heading into Florida's primary, but the two aren't nearly as close when it comes to television ad spending there.

Romney has outspent McCain nearly 3-to-1 in the crucial early voting state, according to just released numbers from TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group (CMAG), CNN's ad consultant on ad spending.

The former Massachusetts governor has spent close to $5.3 million in the state on roughly 5,700 spots, according to the new numbers. That compares to the approximately $1.9 million McCain has spent on 2,300 spots.

Rudy Giuliani, who has heavily focused his resources on Florida alone, has spent close to $3 million there on 4,000 spots.

But despite the overall disparity in spending between McCain and Romney, the two have nearly spent equal amounts over the last week - a sign both candidates now view a win in Florida as crucial to their presidential bids.

McCain's entire $1.9 million worth of television ads in the state came between January 21-28, following a momentum boost from wins in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries. Romney, who started advertising in the state much earlier than McCain, has spent roughly the same amount as the Arizona senator there over the last week. Giuliani, meanwhile, spent about $1.1 million on ads over during that time period.

Since Florida has a much larger populatiion than any of the previous early-voting states, a candidate's ad presence is likely to have more of an impact.

"Of the early states, Florida is the most media-driven," Tracey said. "There's a lot of ground to cover. You can't cover all the state, this is when advertising matters."

– CNN Producer Alexander Mooney

(CNN) - Republican Rudy Giuliani raised the issue of a national catastrophic fund during Thursday's presidential debate, a proposal that does not enjoy major support nationwide, but is very popular among the Florida voters the former New York City mayor is targeting.

Giuliani specifically pointed out John McCain is against such a fund - he's said FEMA is already in place to bear such costs - and pressed Mitt Romney on where he stood on the issue.

Romney said he supports "some kind of national catastrophic effort" to ensure people can afford insurance, though he seemed to indicate he was not in favor of national solution (like Giuliani supports).

"I am not in favor of saying the people in Iowa should have to subsidize the people in Massachusetts or the people in Florida, that doesn't make a lot of sense,” he said. “But to have the states in high risk areas come together and say, "How do we organize an effort on a national basis that actually deals with the different states and the different risks they face?"

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

The two national frontrunners won the endorsement of the New York Times (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

(CNN) - The New York Times is endorsing hometown senator Hillary Clinton, but picked Republican John McCain over former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, for their party's presidential nominations in editorials published on the paper's Web site Thursday night, moments before the Republican presidential debate in Florida began.

The editorial board - which frequently clashed with Giuliani during his two mayoral terms - devoted the heart of its endorsement of McCain to a brutal repudiation of the New York Republican. "The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively secretive, vindictive man who saw no need to limit police power. ...Mr. Giuliani’s arrogance and bad judgment are breathtaking.

"The Rudolph Giuliani of 2008 first shamelessly turned the horror of 9/11 into a lucrative business, with a secret client list, then exploited his city’s and the country’s nightmare to promote his presidential campaign."

The paper said it disagreed with McCain over many issues but that "with a record of working across the aisle to develop sound bipartisan legislation, he would offer a choice to a broader range of Americans than the rest of the Republican field."

On the Democratic side, the Times called Clinton "the best choice for the Democratic Party as it tries to regain the White House."

It said Barack Obama had built an "exciting campaign around the notion of change, but holds no monopoly on ideas that would repair the governing of America."

Clinton, wrote the editorial board, "sometimes overstates the importance of résumé," but "hearing her talk about the presidency, her policies and answers for America’s big problems, we are hugely impressed by the depth of her knowledge, by the force of her intellect and by the breadth of, yes, her experience.

"We know that she is capable of both uniting and leading."

The Times, which backed Clinton in both her 2000 and 2006 Senate bids, also urged her to "take the lead in changing the tone of the campaign."

New York's voters head to the polls on Super Tuesday, February 5.

UPDATE: Shortly after the endorsement was posted, several opposing campaigns, including Rudy Giuliani's, issued releases highlighting it - since the support of the paper's liberal editorial board is not necessarily a helpful one for a GOP presidential candidate.

The Giuliani campaign even included a link to the article - despite the piece's attacks on the former mayor and his record.

CNN's Dana Bash takes a look at whether Giuliani's Florida strategy is paying off. (Photo Credit: AP)

WASHINGTON (CNN) - Two new polls appear to show Republican Rudy Giuliani slipping in Florida, a state he once called "crucial" to his presidential chances.

In a survey conducted for the Miami Herald, the St. Petersburg Times, and Bay News 9, the former New York mayor only registers 15 percent among Republican primary voters. That puts him in a tie with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who has spent little time in the state and has only a fraction of the organization Giuliani has there.

John McCain and Mitt Romney are statistically tied for the top spot in the poll - McCain's at 25 percent and Romney's at 23 percent.

Giuliani also finds himself in third place spot in a new American Research Group poll with 16 percent, a statistical tie with Mike Huckabee's 17 percent. John McCain is on top with 29 percent and Mitt Romney is second with 22 percent.

Speaking on CNN's The Situation Room Wednesday, Giuliani maintained he would win the state next Tuesday, and said his strategy of focusing exclusively on Florida over the last month will prove to be the right one.

"We are going to win in Florida, then we will be talking about exactly who made the right decisions," he said. "That's really, I am an optimist about the way you govern and an optimist about the way you run a campaign. That's the way I look at it."

In an interview Tuesday, Giuliani had appeared to downplay his focus on the state, telling an interviewer that the state would be an “important win,” but that “I don’t think any candidate ever puts himself in a corner and says, must win, have to win, must win.’’

The Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5.1 percent, while the ARG poll's margin of error is plus or minus four percentage points. Both were conducted January 20-22.

Related video: Watch Giuliani on Larry King Live Wednesday night

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two new polls appear to show Republican Rudy Giuliani slipping in Florida, a state he once called "crucial" to his presidential chances.

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Giuliani is focusing on Florida's Febuary 5 vote.

(CNN) - Republican Rudy Giuliani has long banked on support from his delegate-rich home state, but two new polls out Monday suggests the former New York City mayor may have a difficult time there.

A new WNBC/Marist poll shows John McCain on top in the state, drawing 33 percent support from Republicans likely to vote in New York's February 5 primary. Mitt Romney is back at 19 percent, Giuliani stands at 18 percent and Mike Huckabee draws 15 percent.

Extended to all New York Republican's, McCain stays at 34 percent, while Giuliani increases to 23 percent, Romney falls to 14 percent and Mike Huckabee decreases to 11 percent.

A new poll out by Siena College meanwhile shows McCain ahead of Giuliani by 12 points, 34 percent to 22 percent. Mitt Romney is at 10 percent in that poll.

New York is one of the most valuable prizes on February 5 - the day when more than two dozen states hold their nominating contests. On the Republican side, the winner stands to gain all 87 of New York's delegates at stake. (New York Republicans send an additional 14 unpledged delegates to the convention who are later selected by party leaders.)

Giuliani had long held a lead in the state, but the New York Republican's strategy of waiting to seriously compete in a state primary until Florida's January 29 vote may have caused his poll numbers to sag back at home.

The sample size of likely Republican voters in the Marist poll was 175, and it carries a margin of error of plus or minus 7.5 percentage points. The sample size for all New York Republicans was 401, and it carries a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The Siena poll's margin of error was plus or minus 5 points.

Reacting to the poll, Giuliani supporter Pete King, a congressman from New York, expressed confidence the former mayor would win the state.

"The people of New York know better than anyone that Rudy is the bold and gutsy leader our country needs right now to tackle the tough challenges," he said in a statement provided by the Giuliani campaign. "Mayor Giuliani will win New York because voters around the country want a President who has been tested in crisis, is a proven tax cutter and will get results because he's gotten them before."

– CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney