The new Giuliani

What happened

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani began attacking GOP rival Mitt Romney—instead of Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton—over the weekend as he began losing ground in polls. (USA Today)

What the commentators said

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“Uh, oh,” said Greg Sargent in TPM Election Central, “Looks like Rudy Giuliani is suddenly aware that the GOP nomination isn't his for the taking.” Giuliani had made a point of saying he was only out to attack candidates from the other party, but the “big turnabout” became necessary as Romney surged ahead in key, early-voting states.

Giuliani isn’t pulling any punches, said Jonathan Martin in The Politico. He “slammed Romney on health care, crime, and taxes.” Perhaps the sharpest jab came when the former New York mayor said his rival—the former governor of Massachusetts—was a “one-time moderate” and “a hypocrite on a host of social issues who lives ‘in a glass house.’”

Giuliani wasn’t the only one who suddenly went negative, said Dan Balz in The Washington Post (free registration). Romney spent the weekend going after Giuliani, saying the former New York mayor appeared scared about losing the nomination. Romney said Republican voters wanted someone whose values were easy to distinguish from Hillary Clinton’s—a clear jab at his liberal views on abortion, gay rights, and immigration.