GIULIANI: NOT SHAMELESS ENOUGH EARLY ENOUGH

Steve Benen directs my attention to this:

Rudy Giuliani began his Sunday in an unusual place for him -- at church -- and with an unusual fellow congregant, the controversial former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

The former mayor, whose second divorce has left him on the outs with his own Catholic Church, started a three-day bus tour through Florida Sunday with a visit to the bilingual El Rey Jesus, a Hispanic evangelical Christian church here.

For the mayor - who as a young man considered the priesthood - it marked the sudden discovery of God on the campaign trail, with a speech that was part sermon and part political pitch.

"This is a beautiful church, and I can feel the spirit of God in this room," Giuliani told the 7,000 or so worshipers....

Speaking of his own Catholic school upbringing, Giuliani said, "I started every day of class making the sign of the cross, praying to Jesus, praying to Mary. ... And it built into my very being an understanding that we have to pray for help."...

What's baffling is that he didn't attempt this particular shameless pander two years ago, when it would have set up his run for the GOP nomination perfectly (and probably would have done him no harm for the general election). Sure, Romney's floundering after doing something like that, but to many evangelicals he's the Devil, i.e., a Mormon. Some fundies still hate Catholics, but Catholicism hasn't hurt Sam Brownback's standing with the GOP base, much less the reputations of Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts on the Supreme Court.

A couple of years ago, I really expected Giuliani to go off on a retreat with some right-wing priest (for instance, this guy) and emerge anti-choice and anti-gay, just in time for '08. I bet he considered that and rejected it, and I bet he's kicking himself now.