Rudy's Mid-Life Crisis

"You know, I don't really care about politics right now," Giuliani said last week, and no one could blame him for that. But with its nominating convention just two weeks away, the state G.O.P. cares a great deal about politics. Republican leaders from Pataki on down were publicly supporting Giuliani while privately worrying about who would replace him. Some Republicans dream that Pataki might get into the race--the popular Governor would be the favorite against Hillary--but he has shut down such talk. That makes the odds-on favorite Representative Rick Lazio, the tousle-haired Long Islander who wanted to challenge Giuliani for the nomination until Pataki made him back off. If Giuliani steps aside, says the Pataki adviser, "it's gonna be Rick. All the other names are bulls___." Those names include Peter King, the voluble Congressman who last week was busy working up interest in his candidacy; and Ted Forstmann, a millionaire financier known for his $50 million voucher program to send poor children to private schools. Forstmann's appeal lies in the fact that he could pay his own way, but G.O.P. strategists insist money won't be a problem. "If you or I ran against Hillary Clinton, we'd raise $20 million in no time," says Kieran Mahoney, a consultant close to the G.O.P. leadership.

On Friday, Giuliani said he had fallen behind on his consultations with doctors, raising the possibility that he would cancel a California fund-raising trip. And press reports had the mayor arranging a secret meeting with Lazio--another ominous sign for Giuliani supporters. These days in New York, the Rudy Watch never stops.