As the days wind down toward the presidential primaries, the candidates are pulling out all the stops in an effort to capture all those uninspired Iowa and New Hampshire Republican voters. Huckabee pulled out the not-so-sublimal cross that appeared to ordain him as the candidate. Then he set out with his gun (and a press gaggle) to show how tough he is by gratuitously shooting a bird for the cameras. Romney is frantically trying to re-position himself to be the candidate that is all things to all conservatives - something he never has been and never will be. McCain is rightfully pointing out all of Romney's flaws and helping to solidify Romney's well-deserved image as a man who will say anything to win. Yes, the same McCain who sold his own soul to the devil in 2000.

And last, but certainly not least, we have Rudy. The NYT notes a sad trend for Rudy.....his crowds are shrinking.

The small crowd was enthusiastic, but the phone bank sign-up sheets on the walls did not list many volunteers for the lead up to the voting here.

With the news of the millions of dollars that he has accepted from shady clients at his equally shady law investment security firm, and the news that his mistress may have cost NYC taxpayers millions of dollars, things haven't been looking all that great for Rudy lately. And that can only mean one thing. It's time for Rudy to go back to what Rudy does best ---- the tragedy of 9/11. He is hammering the theme home with a new campaign spot.

Mr. Giuliani’s retooled stump speech compares the Sept. 11 generation to the generation that won World War II. He is running a new television advertisement that shows firefighters atop the smoldering ruins of the World Trade Center site. And this week, Mr. Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, seized on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the suicide bombing in Pakistan to warn audiences that it "reminds us of the kind of world that we live in."

I have to say, that is some impressive multi-generational pandering. The resolve of all Americans during that tragic time was impressive, but I can hardly say that we have sacrificed the way our parents and grandparents did during WWII. The last time I checked, we were all leading very normal lives. Unless you believe that having to take your shoes off at the airport is the same as watching your husband/father/brother/son and every other able-bodied male go off to war while you make bullets in a washing machine factory and grow all of your own food just to survive.....I don't see how those things are comparable. I'm not saying that there aren't plenty of people out there saying their goodbyes to the brave soldiers going off to Iraq and Afghanistan, or that people aren't making important sacrifices. But, as as whole, we aren't making anything close to the sacrifices that our parents or grandparents did during WWII.

Not content to only remind voters of how awesome he was on 9/11, Rudy also wanted to explain why the Bhutto assasination is so personal to him:

"For me this is a particularly personal experience," Mr. Giuliani said in Florida as he discussed the assassination of Ms. Bhutto on Thursday, "because I lived through Sept. 11, 2001, and then I lived through the attacks in London a few years later."

London? Did I miss something here? Did Rudy fly over to London after the subway bombing and run that city as well? Of course not. But somehow in his world, it's all about Rudy. Except for the victims of those horrific attacks, didn't we all live through those events? Weren't we all deeply impacted by those events?

And that image in the campaign ad of those firefighters atop the smoldering rubble of the WTC? How dare Rudy include them. I can't think of a group more opposed to a Rudy Giuliani presidency than the Firefighters and their union. The video below, which was created by the IAFF, is a stunning indictment of Rudy Giuliani's leadership - or lack thereof. I will caution that watching the real 9/11 heroes and their families describe Giuliani's piss poor management is upsetting and is liable to make you angry.

There you have it. Straight from the mouths of our brave firefighters. Rudy Giuliani is the last person they want to see as President. Let's help their voices be heard in Iowa, New Hampshire, and beyond. Not just for this election, but to permanently set the record straight on Rudy's "leadership" before and after 9/11. Their courage and the memories of those lost deserve nothing less.