I Wish I Were in Dixie

Rudy Giuliani is bouncing between Georgia and South Carolina today as he tries to push Fred Thompson, who has taken center stage in the South, back into the wings.

This morning, Rudy will have breakfast with the locals at the Pan American Pancake and Omelet in Myrtle Beach, SC. Rudy should find friendly faces in Myrtle Beach, as the town's mayor, John Rhodes, is a member of Rudy's campaign.

Later, Rudy will hold a town hall-style meeting with the Skidaway Republican Club at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront in Savannah, GA. Glenn Richardson, the Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, is the chairman of Rudy's campaign in Georgia.

Jumping back to South Carolina, Rudy will crack open oysters while announcing his Beaufort County Leadership at the Bluffton Oyster Company in Bluffton, SC.

Rudy's campaign is working overtime, but his poll numbers need the work. In a June Mason-Dixon poll, Fred Thompson wins the nomination at 25%, while Rudy wins second place at 21%. Mitt Romney watches Thompson and Rudy from the distance with his 11%; and McCain has almost disappeared from the state, winning only 7%.

Still, Rudy's victory in the second quarter fundraising race, raking in $17 million, has some pundits thinking he will have the ability to concentrate on both big and small states, as opposed to narrowing in solely on big states.

Thompson, who stopped in South Carolina on June 27th, and Giuliani are elbowing each other for room; while McCain, the former front-runner has fallen behind. But then again, McCain has some connection to South Carolina this week: he is returning from a 4th of July trip to Iraq with South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham.