Giuliani moves toward 2008 US presidential bid

Washington, Nov 14: Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was hailed as a hero for his response to the Sept. 11 attacks, has taken a step toward entering the 2008 presidential race, US media reported on yesterday.

Giuliani, a Republican, has filed papers to form an exploration committee for a run to succeed President George W Bush in the White House, the reports said.

Giuliani's spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel, had no comment.

The former mayor joins a long list of potential candidates in each party who are expected to begin vying for the White House over the next few months.

Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa became the first Democrat to formally jump into the race on Thursday, while Rep Duncan Hunter of California, chairman of the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, kicked things off for Republicans last month.

There have been no decisions yet from the presumed front-runners, Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

''I am going to sit down with my family over the holidays and make that decision,'' McCain, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2000, said on Sunday on NBC's ''Meet the Press.'' Another possible 2008 presidential contender, Democratic Sen Joe Biden of Delaware, said on ABC's ''This Week'' that he was still planning on running, but was unsure when he would take the next steps.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a potential campaign-trail star, also is pondering a run, as is Mitt Romney, the outgoing Republican governor of Massachusetts.

Reuters