The week's political news includes indications that Rudy Giuliani is strongly considering a run for the governorship of NY next year. It's an interesting prospect. Despite the many troubles of Gov. David Paterson, and of the Democratic Party in the legislature, NY remains a strongly Democratic state.

Rudy can presumably have the GOP nomination for the asking, but Empire State Republicans ought to give a bit of thought to his remarkably inept presidential campaign last year. Stealing a page from the unsuccessful Al Gore campaign of 1988, Rudy became the latest presidential candidate to try a back-loaded nomination strategy that conceded Iowa and wound up focusing on Florida. It predictably failed, as did his clumsy efforts to pander to cultural conservatives who would never, ever trust him.

You'd have to guess the pre-2008 Giuliani is the guy who will be running for governor if he decides to take the plunge. But some of the things he said on the presidential campaign trail will definitely come back to haunt him.