Word is that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is now the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.

This far out from the actual nomination the polls don't mean much, and I am reasonably certain that Rudy's candidacy will self-destruct long before the Republican National Convention. There are reasons the people who know him best -- New Yorkers -- prefer their polarizing Senator, Hillary Clinton, over Rudy Giuliani. There are also reasons why the thought of a President Giuliani scares the daylights out of me.

Here are a few things America really needs to know about Rudy Giuliani:

Had Rudy Giuliani been mayor of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, he would not be a presidential contender today.

I was in lower Manhattan on 9/11, and as I was working in Manhattan I spent most of my time there in the days and weeks after. So you can take my word on this: Rudy's post-9/11 "leadership" amounted almost entirely of the mayor appearing on television. He did a fine job of appearing on television, and he managed to set the right tone and say the right things -- abilities Hizzoner did not always draw upon in the past. I give him credit for his performance. But that performance did not constitute "leadership." It was all public relations. It was all about Rudy.