With the fifth anniversary of 9/11 upon us, memories of that tragic event are returning to the forefront of public consciousness. Among the many haunting images of that day and those that followed, one unmistakable individual stood out. Whether he was walking the city streets in the hours after the attack, encouraging rescue workers in the rubble or reassuring the public via his daily briefings, if there was any calm to be found in the storm of September 11th, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was it.

Though he’s since returned to private life, he never seems to be out of the public eye. Whether he will make a return to political life with a run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination remains to be seen.

The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 36% of Americans classify Giuliani as a political moderate. Twenty-nine percent (29%) say conservative and 15% liberal. Twenty percent (20%) are not sure.

These survey results place Giuliani three points to the left of the political center.

The political center is calculated by subtracting the number of liberals from the number of conservatives among the general public (35% conservative, 18% liberal for a net +17). For Giuliani, 29% conservative minus 15% liberal equals a net plus 14. The plus 14 reading for Giuliani is 3 points away from the plus 17 reading for the general public.

While most candidates want to be as close to the political center as possible, Giuliani may seek the nomination of a party that is to the right of the political center. Among his own party ranks, 43% consider Giuliani moderate, 31% conservative and 13% liberal. However, many pundits believe perceptions of the Mayor will shift as Republican primary voters learn more about his views on abortion and other issues.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, current frontrunner for the 2008 GOP presidential nod, is seen by 46% of Republicans as moderate. Nineteen percent (19%) say he’s conservative and 19% liberal.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former First Lady—and Giuliani’s “would-have-been” opponent in his abandoned 2002 U.S. Senate race—places 55 points to the left of center.

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