As you read the following, keep this in mind: As of today, we have our first legitimate poll showing Huckabee in first place in Iowa:
Two big stories today relating to the race for the GOP nomination, both of which present potentially serious threats to their respective candidates.
First, Giuliani: The Politico is reporting that it has concrete evidence that Rudy Giuliani billed government agencies for the cost of his frequent trips out to the Hamptons to visit his soon-to-be wife Judith Nathan. An excerpt:
As New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani billed obscure city agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with future wife Judith Nathan in the Hamptons, according to previously undisclosed government records.
The documents, obtained by Politico under New York’s Freedom of Information Law, show that the mayoral costs had nothing to do with the functions of the little-known city offices that defrayed his tabs, including agencies responsible for regulating loft apartments, aiding the disabled and providing lawyers for indigent defendants....the practice of transferring the travel expenses of Giuliani's security detail to the accounts of obscure mayoral offices has never been brought to light, despite behind-the-scenes criticism from the city comptroller weeks after Giuliani left office.
The expenses first surfaced as Giuliani's two terms as mayor of New York drew to a close in 2001, when a city auditor stumbled across something unusual: $34,000 worth of travel expenses buried in the accounts of the New York City Loft Board.
When the city's fiscal monitor asked for an explanation, Giuliani's aides refused, citing "security," said Jeff Simmons, a spokesman for the city comptroller.
But American Express bills and travel documents obtained by Politico suggest another reason City Hall may have considered the documents sensitive: They detail three summers of visits to Southampton, the Long Island town where Nathan had an apartment.
Auditors "were unable to verify that these expenses were for legitimate or necessary purposes," City Comptroller William Thompson wrote of the expenses from fiscal year 2000, which covers parts of 1999 and 2000.
So far, the Giuliani campaign hasn't been able to provide a credible explanation for all this. Given that the story is years old, and that they were given more than a week by the Politico staff to respond, that's quite significant.
Second is a story about Mitt Romney. A few days back, the Christian Science Monitor published a piece in which Mitt proudly proclaimed that Muslim's wouldn't be welcomed in his cabinet. An excerpt:
I asked Mr. Romney whether he would consider including qualified Americans of the Islamic faith in his cabinet as advisers on national security matters, given his position that "jihadism" is the principal foreign policy threat facing America today. He answered, "…based on the numbers of American Muslims [as a percentage] in our population, I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified. But of course, I would imagine that Muslims could serve at lower levels of my administration."
Unfortunately for Romney, this isn't the first time he's said something along these lines, and the kids over at TPM have spent the last few days tracking down leads and verifying stories, including one from some Nevada Republicans who claim Romney had previously justified his refusal to appoint a Muslim for his cabinet as follows:
They're radical. There's no talking to them. There's no negotiating with them
If enough of a media firestorm erupts over either one of these, it might be enough to sink a campaign. At first glance, the story about Rudy seems to me to be the one most likely to hurt his campaign, both because of the nature of the charges and the existence of a paper trail. Romney's comments, by contrast, might actually win him some points with his base.
Huckabee is surging at precisely the right moment. And now this? Hang on kids. I'm telling you....he's going to win the whole thing.
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