Rudy, True to Form, Won't Talk to Opponents

Members of the religious right are threatening a 3rd party bid if Rudy wins, and Rudy's response is not to talk to them.

Let's be clear, this is not a tactical decision, some sort of attempt to present himself as tough. This is who Rudy is.

Veteran Rudy insiders have been predicting this for some time, because there's a backstory here that longtime Rudy watchers know about. Back in 2000, when Rudy was running for Senate, he was being attacked by the leader of New York's Conservative Party for his pro-choice views. This was a big deal because Republicans in New York need the Conservative Party to overcome the state's Dem tilt and win statewide office. But Rudy steadily ignored the Conservative chief for weeks and weeks, and at one point started lambasting him in the press. He even said what he's saying now: That conservatives would gravitate towards him despite what their leader said.

This is part of who Guiliani is. He has consistently refused to deal with people who were not in complete lockstep with him.

Any future foreign policy under a Guiliani administration would make Bush/Cheney look like Mahatma Ghandi.

Scary thought.