Rudy 2008, in Increments

Does anyone know if Rudy Giuliani has said anything more direct, publicy or privately, about his presidential ambitions than his statement yesterday at a fundraiser for Rob Erlich?

From an AP story on the event:

Giuliani said he is “seriously considering” a run for president in 2008. But he said, as he has in many campaign-style appearances, that he was focused on the 2006 midterm elections. He said he would continue to travel the country to gauge the breadth of his support and his ability to raise the money needed for a presidential bid.

“Eventually, when you make the decision, you have to go through a kind of soul-searching about how much you think you can bring to it,” Giuliani said.

Without specifically addressing Giuliani’s presidential ambitions, Ehrlich said the former mayor would be a very strong candidate if he were on the ballot in Maryland.

I didn’t initially occur to me that this was anything particularly new. But then RudyBlogger, who’s done a pretty good job tracking these things, says it’s “the most direct statement” he’s heard about Giuliani’s intentions.

Which leads to one other question: Any bets on when the mayor moves past the “seriously considering” phase?

— Josh Benson