Giuliani steps closer to a White House bid

Washington: Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who earned international attention for his strong response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, suggested on Monday that a formal presidential announcement was a matter of when, not if.

"Today we just took another step toward running for president," the Republican said, hours after filing a so-called "statement of candidacy" with the Federal Election Commission, which moved him closer to a full-fledged campaign.

"It's a big step, an important one. Quite honestly, we're probably ahead of schedule," Giuliani told reporters in Long Island while campaigning with a state Senate candidate. "We still have to think about a formal announcement and how to do it, but this is a pretty strong step."

Later, in an interview on Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Giuliani was more direct. "I'm in this to win," he said. "My campaign is going to be about the future."

Unlike chief Republican rivals Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney, Giuliani had thus far been ambiguous about whether he would pursue the Republican nomination, even though he had taken the initial steps.

In recent weeks, Giuliani's cautious and noncommittal attitude caused some critics to question whether he would abandon his bid even before formally entering the race, as he did in 2000 when he was considering a Senate campaign against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Fighting back, Giuliani started to sound and act like a strong contender lately, travelling to the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, and arguing that his vision for the future and performance in the past would make him a formid-able Republican nominee.

Behind the scenes, he has been busy supplementing his cadre of New York loyalists with Washington-savvy political operatives, establishing a fundraising network and setting up a campaign headquarters - signs of a campaign moving forward. Publicly, however, he had stopped short of committing to a run, insisting he had to decide whether he could make a "unique contribution" to help strengthen the country - his barometer for whether to run.