Rudy Limps Home With Nada

John McCain's victory in Florida was important to him, but it was somewhat eclipsed by the stunning downfall of Rudy Giuliani.

True, McCain walked away with all of the state's 57 delegates and a likely infusion of needed money before the February 5 showdown with Mitt Romney.

The former mayor of New York, on the other hand, spent millions more than his rivals in Florida and yet dropped like a rock after leading in all national polls as recently as late last year.

His heavy spending with no results reminds me of John Connally, who spent $12 million in the 1980 GOP primaries and won a single delegate. Rudy limps home with close to the same total: two delegates and a huge embarrassment.

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Voters should not be misled by the Republican roars in the House chamber as President Bush spoke on the State of the Union.

Many of those same cheerleaders will be separating themselves from him as the election draws closer. Already, 20 GOP incumbents have retired, and some of them eye defeat in November rather than the usual excuse of wanting to spend more time with their families.

Bush knew that his view on the war, Social Security reform, and permanent tax cuts have huge opposition in Congress.

Naturally, Bush did not mention all the missteps and deception leading up to the war and its aftermath.

When all is said and done, that will be Bush's legacy when he leaves office next January. He's leaving the mess to the next president and beyond. What a legacy.