Top aides with the Giuliani for President campaign are declining January paychecks, while insisting that it's not because the former Mayor's organization is strapped for cash. Rudy Giuliani is currently stumping in Florida after very lackluster performances in the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. Iowa was not a surprise; Giuliani had written off the midwestern state as a poor use of time and resources. A very poor performance in New Hampshire had to have been a blow to his campaign though, as he campaigned extensively in the Granite State, although in fits and starts, which may have turned voters off.

According to various press accounts, approximately the top dozen senior aides on Giuliani's staff are working for free. His campaign manager disputed hints of a fiscal crisis. "We have enough money, but we could always use more money," said Mike DuHaime, one of those who now is working for free. "We want to make sure we have enough to win." Giuliani was an early strong frontrunner for the Republican nomination and still leads in Florida polls, but performed badly in comparison to candidates like Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, and John McCain in the small-state primaries and donors may be nervous about throwing good money after bad.

Still, Rudy is confident that a surge in Florida will leave him victorious. "We didn't ask anybody to do it. We've got quite a bit of money and they wanted to make sure that we had even more money for the end of this situation in Florida, so we could have enough on the air or whatever."

One Giuliani donor quoted in The Washington Post reminds us that politics-as-bloodsport is still alive and well in 2008. "Chaos is our friend. And right now, the Republican side is chaotic. The other candidates are in a circular firing squad."

Image cropped from AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee