Rudy probably wishes the gun issue would just go away

Trying to play both ends against the middle doesn't seem to be working too well for him, and now the other side is making it just a little harder.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took a rare, veiled swipe at his predecessor yesterday, challenging Rudolph W. Giuliani’s assertion that a lawsuit Mr. Giuliani filed as mayor against gun manufacturers had changed so much that he may no longer support it.

Isn't it sad to see a beautiful friendship go downhill?

Saying that the case had "not changed at all" since its inception, Mr. Bloomberg told reporters at a news conference at City Hall, "We believe that it’s a good case, and we hope to win it."

It's almost painful to say this, but I actually find myself in agreement with Bloomberg (referring to the first part of the sentence)--I, too, am at a loss as to what would be the "several twists and several turns" that (according to Rudy) the lawsuit has supposedly taken since the end of his direct involvement with it.

In another article about Bloomberg's disenchantment with Rudy, we learn of another bone of contention between the two of them.

Mr. Bloomberg offered an equally staunch condemnation of the Tiahrt amendment, which Mr. Giuliani had described as "sensible" to the NRA on Friday.

The legislation, named for the Republican congressman who sponsored it, has been inserted into congressional spending bills since 2003 and places restrictions on how gun trace data can be used. "The Tiahrt amendment is something that is not in the interest of people who want to be safe in this country," Mr. Bloomberg said. "It's an outrage."

I wonder how Rudy will respond to this new criticism . . .

A spokeswoman for the Giuliani campaign, Maria Comella, declined comment. She also declined to elaborate on Mr. Giuliani's position on the Tiahrt legislation or the city's lawsuit.

Probably a good move, Rudy--for as long as you can get away with it, anyway.

Pretty soon, though, he had better choose a side.

P.S. By the way, speaking of Bloomberg and lawsuits, SAF has news of a bit of a setback for our favorite aspiring emperor. It seems that one of the gun retailers (this one in Georgia) hit by Bloomberg's Junior G-Man "sting" operation is fighting back, and has gotten a boost from a federal court.

BELLEVUE, WA – A federal district court in Georgia has denied a request by attorneys for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to transfer a lawsuit filed against the mayor and others by Adventure Outdoors, a Georgia retailer, to a federal court in New York State.

That lawsuit, supported by the Second Amendment Foundation, names as defendants Mayor Bloomberg, the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, the city’s Criminal Justice Coordinator and police superintendent, and a private investigation company that was hired to conduct so-called “sting” operations against Adventure Outdoors and several other gun shops in at least five states. The lawsuit was filed in 2006 in federal court in Georgia, with former Congressman Bob Barr and Jasper, GA attorney Ed Marger representing Adventure Outdoors.

In a move that surprised the defendants, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia denied their attempts to have the case either moved, or dismissed. The lawsuit against Bloomberg and his co-defendants involves allegations of libel, slander and tortuous interference with business relations. . . .

What's wrong, Mike--don't you own any federal judges in Georgia?