Oh God no. Please let this idea die a quick, painless death.

LARRY KUDLOW: ” Will you take a look at 2012, there are lots of rumors in New York City?”

RUDY GIULIANI: “I will take a look at 2012. It’s really a question of, can I play a useful role? Would I have a chance of getting the nomination? Those are things that I’ll have to evaluate as the year goes along.

LARRY KUDLOW: “But the door is open, that’s what I’m hearing from you tonight?”

RUDY GIULIANI: “Yes, yes, Absolutely Larry.”

It’s not that Giuliani is a bad person. Indeed, he’s excellent on many issues and isn’t afraid to stick it to Democrats. He’s a perfect political attack dog, and his services could be quite useful in the campaign. But not as a candidate.

First of all, he’s not going to appeal to most Republicans. And he’s certainly not going to appeal to the Tea Party. He’s great on security. But security isn’t a top issue. He’s a social liberal with a shaky fiscal record. Not exactly what Republicans are looking for in the next president.

Second, he ran a God-awful campaign in 2008. He spent something like $50 million to obtain a single delegate. And remember his Florida strategy? He refused to compete in the early primaries/caucuses because he was going to concentrate on Florida, which has a winner-takes-all primary. Only problem was he lost Florida. It was a disaster.

We need the best candidate who can deliver the most enthusiasm and most votes in 2012. That’s simply not Rudy Giuliani. He may appeal to some (and I repeat: some) moderates, but he’s not going to drive GOTV efforts or mount a serious fundraising challenge to the Obama-Chicago political machine.

He’s an eh-candidate who was last seen running a historically awful campaign. He can’t compete when it comes to fundraising. He can’t compete when it comes to enthusiasm. He can’t compete when it comes to driving voters to the ballot box. And he kinda pisses off libertarians, fiscal conservatives, and social conservatives.

Rudy, baby, I love you. But please, for the best of the country…don’t run.

As for my 2012 preference? I don’t know. But I do know that the 2008 field was boring as hell. Picking a candidate from that lot was like deciding which creepy dude you want babysitting your kid. You’re better off forgetting you ever went to those candidates in the first place and moving on.