Hillary leads McCain and Giuliani - CNN Poll

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She's doing much better than Kerry or Gore were 2 years out.

She's not at all my favorite candidate in the primary, but if Hillary can really win, who am I to argue?

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The only thing, is that McCain isn't leading in the polls for the nomination, Guiliani is and he is defeating her.

Hillary beats him 50-46, and I think Giulani is too liberal to get the nomination.

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Republicans can only hope Democrats are led to believe Hillary can win. Well, she can, but not against Guiliani or probably any strong GOP candidate (she would beat a Frist, Brownback type).

FWIW, Marist has done 5 polls of these 2 matchups in the last year or so, including one fairly recently (late Sept.). Hillary trails in all 10. Opinion Dynamics has conducted the same number with those matchups in the past year, Hillary trails in all 10. Hotline has done 6 in the last year, McCain-Hillary only, Hillary trails in all 6. Cook/RT Strategies has done 3 with the McCain-Hillary matchup, Hillary trails in all 3. NBC/WSJ has done 2 of the same, Hillary trails in both. Zogby and Rasmussen and the Q all have shown the same thing in their polls.

If that makes Hillary the favorite, so be it. And regardless of where she is in the polls against McCain and Guiliani, there is no guarantee either will be the GOP nominee.

McCain looks stronger than he is.
As for Giulani, it'd be hilarious if he got the nomination.

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Hilarious for you maybe. Not for Hillary though.

I hate McCain but people actively interested in politics tend to assume everyone else will eventually come around to their way of thinking, i.e. Lamont in CT. But usually it doesn't work that way. McCain probably can't win the GOP primary but he would be a formidable general election candidate, certainly way above average.

I'm sure the Republican base wants a cross dressing, pro-partial birth abortion, pro gun control, gay friendly, adulterist on his 3rd marriage New Yawker. 

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Hilarious for you maybe. Not for Hillary though.

I hate McCain but people actively interested in politics tend to assume everyone else will eventually come around to their way of thinking, i.e. Lamont in CT. But usually it doesn't work that way. McCain probably can't win the GOP primary but he would be a formidable general election candidate, certainly way above average.

I'm sure the Republican base wants a cross dressing, pro-partial birth abortion, pro gun control, gay friendly, adulterist on his 3rd marriage New Yawker. 

Maybe Republicans are more pragmatic. One polling firm intentionally push-polled Guiliani and he still did very well among GOP voters (i.e. they basically said how liberal he was before asking the topline question). It's not really a secret that Guiliani is liberal.

That said, it would be pretty bizarre if Giuliani ran on an identical platform in a GOP primary as he did in a NYC Mayoral race. He definitely has some 'outs' to mitigate his prior record (i.e. federalism).

Rudy winning the Republican nomination would either involve massive pandering to the conservatives by Rudy doing a 180 on various positions, or a massive shift if the Republican party away from the wingnut base.