Giuliani takes first step in presidential bid

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican moderate who achieved near-mythic popularity for his handling of the Sept. 11 attacks, has taken the first step in a 2008 presidential bid. The man once dubbed "America's mayor" filed papers Friday in New York to create the Rudy Giuliani Presidential Exploratory Committee Inc. Creating an exploratory committee does not make Giuliani a declared candidate, but it does mean he intends to travel the country gauging support and preparing for a White House bid. "Mayor Giuliani has not made a decision yet," Giuliani spokeswoman Sunny Mindel said in a statement Monday night. "With the filing of this document, we have taken the necessary legal steps so an organization can be put in place and money can be raised to explore a possible presidential run in 2008."