Tumblin' Rudy Three

By Michael J.W. Stickings

A new poll suggests that the GOP contest in Florida is looking more and more like a two-man race... between McCain and Romney. As for Giuliani, who ignored the early states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, etc.) in favour of a national, ego-driven campaign, it looks like he'll be battling it out with Huckabee for third.

"Giuliani's decision to pull out of the early states is going to go down in history if he finishes out of the money in Florida as one of the worst political decisions," said pollster Tom Eldon. (By the way, as Marc Ambinder points out, Eldon and his partner Rob Schroth are "generally considered the best of the non-partisan political pollsters in the state.)

OTB: "All-in-all, it looks very likely that Rudy will be joining Duncan, Tom, and Fred in the loser’s lounge before the month is out."

TMV: "Unless something changes, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's campaign will be mentioned in political science classes and by political consultants for years to come — as the way not to do it."

And if anyone deserves to wallow in such personal and historical failure, it's Rudy and his 9/11-sized ego.

(See also Tumblin' Rudy One and Two.)