I know. Big shocker, right? Mr. “Fundamental Transformation” himself, not that into America:

Rudy Giuliani went straight for the jugular Wednesday night during a private group dinner here featuring Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker by openly questioning whether President Barack Obama “loves America.” The former New York mayor, speaking in front of the 2016 Republican presidential contender and about 60 right-leaning business executives and conservative media types, directly challenged Obama’s patriotism, discussing what he called weak foreign policy decisions and questionable public remarks when confronting terrorists. “I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America,” Giuliani said during the dinner at the 21 Club, a former Prohibition-era speakeasy in midtown Manhattan. “He doesn’t love you. And he doesn’t love me. He wasn’t brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country.”

This being a private, off-the-record event, the former mayor’s remarks immediately found their way into print, which is something Republicans are just going to have to get used to. Nothing that is said, anywhere, at any time, is off the record. Especially when a snarky Politico writer can note in the very next paragraph:

With Walker sitting just a few seats away, Giuliani continued by saying that “with all our flaws we’re the most exceptional country in the world. I’m looking for a presidential candidate who can express that, do that and carry it out.”

And you just know Walker was lovin’ it! Speaking of whom, he sure is sounding more and more like a candidate every day:

“The big thing I thought Mitt Romney’s campaign missed more than anything was we already knew the narrative that the economy was failing, and that there was a compelling case to get rid of the president,” Walker told the crowd of business leaders, academics, GOP honchos and members of the media at the posh 21 Club. “What we never heard — or at least didn’t hear very clearly — was why Mitt Romney would be a better alternative,” Walker said.

Something tells me Walker won’t be making that mistake should he run.