Guiliani Eyes Presidential Bid

from WDIV Detroit TV 4

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a moderate Republican best known for his stewardship of the city after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, has taken the first step in a 2008 presidential bid. The former mayor filed papers to create the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee Inc., establishing a panel that would allow him to raise money for a White House run and travel the country. The four-page filing, obtained by The Associated Press, lists the purpose of the nonprofit corporation "to conduct federal 'testing the waters' activity under the Federal Election Campaign Act for Rudy Giuliani."

Giuliani was widely praised for leading the city during and after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He has said for months that he would wait until the end of the 2006 elections to decide whether to embark on a White House bid. The former mayor is a moderate who supports gun control and abortion rights, stands that would put him at odds with the majority of GOP conservative base. Still, the Giuliani brand remains strong; he headlined fundraisers for Republican candidates nationwide and his travel has done little to deny 2008 ambitions. During a visit earlier this month to Columbia, S.C., Giuliani dodged the question.