Mr. Nice Authoritarian

Hoo boy. As if Giuliani's record (his real record, not his made-for-TV record) weren't enough, his campaign has made some moves weird enough to make anyone doubt his niceness, if not his sanity. From his foreign policy team of "the only thing wrong with the war is that we haven't opened it up on enough fronts" lunatics to the racist cheese steak photo-op, it's tough to imagine why anyone-- much less a majority of people-- would consider him anything but a mean, petty, and egotistical bastard. Oh, right, the press has decided to repeat their "drinking buddy election" theme in favor of a guy who appears to be a sneerless Dick Cheney.

Which candidate is the most likable? On the Republican side, Giuliani gets the nod, both from GOP voters and among voters overall. None of the Democratic candidates has a clear advantage among Democratic voters, with Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards running about even.

There's a silver lining, though. The public might not be buying it this time.

Ask voters which qualities are most important, though, and they put likability well down the list. They attach far more importance to being honest, ethical, decisive and strong.

Let's hope.