Those of us who have followed the campaign know the reasons behind the failure had nothing to do with 9/11 -- because the campaign itself mostly avoided referencing it. The campaign lost its footing when the press began hyperventilating about a "scandal" from six years ago that even the New York Times later admitted was old news and represented no illegal conduct. It followed that with a poor decision to stop competing in the early states and allow the media to focus so much on his rivals that
Giuliani became the Forgotten Man.

Despite the outcome in Florida, Republicans across the nation should spend the next week thinking long and hard about the demoralizing prospect of a McCain nomination.

There has been a fair amount of discussion of flip-flopping in this race. Well, McCain has changed a few of his positions too. He changed away from conservatism. In the 1980s and early 1990s, he was a solidly credentialed member of the Reagan-Goldwater coalition who was right in line with the people of Arizona. In the late 1990s, when he saw that he could get better press for his dark horse Presidential aspirations as a “maverick,” he changed. McCain could fairly point out that he stood on “principle.” But it is equally fair to point out that those principles aren’t ours.

Faced with deficits to make up on abortion and past support for gay rights, Giuliani pursued a strategy that systematically dismantled everything that once made his candidacy appealing to his core supporters. The man who was once supposed to extend the GOP's reach outside of the South -- in states like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California -- instead played a southern strategy.

The best thing Giuliani can do now is to bow out gracefully should he come up with anything less than a win in Florida. He had his chance and wasted it: The least he can do now is stop wasting our time.

Ronald Reagan in the 1980s attracted young voters to his party. Bill Clinton in the 1990s did the same. But in this decade, George W. Bush has conspicuously failed at the important task of capturing the youth vote. Rather to the contrary. Voters under 30 were the age group least likely to support Bush in 2000 or 2004. They were the age group least likely to support Republicans when they had a good year in 2002 and when they had a bad year in 2006. The weakness of Republicans among young voters is one reason — and, you could argue, the main demographic reason — that Democrats go into the 2008 campaign as the party more voters would like to see win.

Will America's taxpayers underwrite hurricane insurance for Florida homeowners?

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, desperately needing a win in the Sunshine State, has made support for the Florida bailout a centerpiece of his recent speeches. His new Web video proudly announces that among the GOP candidates, "only one has a plan to lower rates and fix the insurance mess. Tested in crisis. Ready to lead. Rudy Giuliani." So the hero of 9/11 will apply that experience to making sure South Beach homeowners can buy insurance at below-market rates. America's Mayor is now vying to become America's Insurance Commissioner.

And Giuliani isn't the only one.