One thing I didn’t get around to mentioning in my piece today about the appearance of both Giuliani and McCain at a New York City fundraiser last night is the opinion of many New York Republicans to whom I spoke that we were watching the eventual nominee and his running mate. There was some disagreement over the order of the ticket, but most agreed with this analysis (sent in this morning via e-mail):
People who’ve watched these two since Rudy’s second term as NYC Mayor, know they have a close personal relationship. So close that Rudy’s decision to oppose McCain, at least ostensibly, was a surprise to those who are familiar with the friendship they share.
McCain needs a strong heir apparent, a running mate to get him through the age/health questions. Rudy may need to find a way onto the ticket which will not cause the same intensity of scrutiny about certain things [Kerik for example] that he’s bound to get at the top of the ticket.