Opinion: Another Florida foul-up

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Try as they might, Florida election oficials just can’t seem to avoid mishaps. The latest comes out of the Tampa area, where a sample ballot sent to more than 200,000 registered Republicans listed Rudy Giuliani as ‘Rudi.’

The St. Petersburg Times wrote about it, noting that the error occurred in both the English and Spanish versions of the mailing. The mistake did not occur on absentee ballots being circulated for the state’s Jan. 29 primary.

After poor showings in Iowa and New Hampshire -- and with little prospect of doing better in more immediate contests -- Giuliani is focusing virtually all his time and energy on Florida. Today, a short ad his campaign began airing in the state takes aim at ‘horse race’ coverage of the presidential campaign (though the spot uses a football analogy). Says a narrator:

“With pundits and politicos handicapping the campaign like the Super Bowl, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s at stake. An economy in peril. A country at war. A future uncertain. The media loves process. Talking heads love chatter. But Florida has a chance to turn down the noise. And show the world that leadership is what really matters.” (You can see the ad here.)

Even the Giuliani camp, though, would concede that Florida probably looms as a playoff game for their man: Lose it, and he’s probably eliminated.

-- Don Frederick