With Governor Paterson at a low ebb and Kirsten Gillibrand's future popularity under the manipulation of New York's Democratic elite (and others) uncertain, some noise is being made for the return of Rudolph Giuliani. Randy Mastro, Giuliani's former deputy mayor and close aide, told the Observer, "If ever New York State needed strong leadership in this fiscal crisis, it's today... New York State could use [Giuliani] now more than ever." Other sources say "his name has come up" in high-level Republican discussions.

Though Giuliani has said he's concentrating on making a (hefty) living, the former Mayor clearly wants to stay under political consideration. Giuliani has left the door open for future campaigning, and continues to blast Democrats in the press, hinting to Fox News that the Blagojevich scandal could lead back to Obama and denouncing the President's stand against excessive corporate bonuses. And Giuliani recently did a six-part video interview at David Frum's The New Majority Republican-renewal website, getting the policy wonk angle covered as he did when he was the darling of the Manhattan Institute and City Journal.

Giuliani and his influential friends seem to think that if things go really sour for the Dems, the name Giuliani will be magic for New York State voters who have not yet been directly ruled by him. Of course, as the Gillibrand appointment shows, the smarter money is on someone unassociated with the city.