"I'm one of them"

C'mon now, if we think it through, you really want to convince yourself that this guy is up to running a country? I don't think we'll have two flukes in row like that. But let's wait and see, shall we?

"This is not a mayor or a governor or a president who's sitting in an ivory tower," he said. "I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. ... I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."

Battalion Chief John McDonnell, head of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association in New York, said: "I have a real problem with that statement. I think he's really grasping and trying to justify his previous attempts to portray himself as the hero of 9/11."

Michael Palladino, head of the Detectives Endowment Association, the union of NYPD detectives, said the mayor's record can't compare to those who spent 12 months sifting through toxic debris for evidence and human remains.

"As a result of their hard work, many are sick and injured. The mayor, although he did a fine job with 9/11, I don't think he rises to the level of being an equal with those men and women who were involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup," Palladino said.

I can tell him this much for certain, overall he's not going to be an appealing presidential candidate for Minnesotans.

Giuliani spoke to reporters at a Los Angeles Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds game, where the former New York mayor watched a little baseball between fundraising appearances.

"I have a chance of winning Ohio, I have a chance of winning New York, I have a chance of winning California," said Giuliani, who also mentioned New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan and Minnesota as states he could win. "We've got to put these states in play."

And what the heck is this? Sure if you think sifting through rubble and attending funerals makes you an expert on Islamic terrorism... No wonder the firefighters and police are pushing back.

"I believe the most important issue is being on offense against Islamic terrorism," he said. "I think there's no candidate in the race who has as much experience with that as I do."

America is not New York City, Rudy. We're not so easily susceptible to your fear out here, and we'd sure think it would help things some to get that gas tax passed...

"Treat the illness, not the symptoms" is still common sense everywhere, right?