Empire State Dustup

It's a New York size headache for George W. Bush.

The Empire State's top two Bush backers are at odds over John McCain in the GOP race for the White House. Governor George Pataki and his political allies are blasting McCain's voting record in Congress as being "as anti-New York as anybody's in the country." But New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani - who's running against Hillary Rodham Clinton for the U.S. Senate - refuses to join in the attack.

This dustup is the last thing Bush needs in his tight race against McCain in New York State, whose 101 delegates are the second-largest prize in next week's Super Tuesday. Recent polls there put the two candidates even. Only registered Republicans can vote in the primary -and 46-percent of New York Republicans are Catholic. McCain has appealed to them by ripping Bush's visit to Bob Jones University, a South Carolina school slammed for anti-Catholic bias and which bans interracial dating.

This week, the Bush campaign in New York - Pataki included - upped the ante in attacking McCain. Pataki took aim at McCain's stands on federal transit aid, emergency assistance for the state, and milk pricing. New Bush ads running in New York are hitting McCain on similar themes.

But Mayor Giuliani refused to allow his name to be used on a mailing to New Yorkers criticizing McCain. He also balked at attending a Thursday news conference with other Empire State mayors meant to rip McCain's voting record. Pataki spokeswoman Zenia Mucha, said she was "dumbfounded" by the mayor's reticence, especially given his own Senate campaign against the First Lady.

"If you're going to be defending the state in the Senate, you have an obligation to point out another senator's votes against your interests and those of the constituency you want to represent," she said.

But Bruce Teitelbaum, Giuliani's campaign manager, said his boss won't malign McCain.

"Mayor Giuliani believes that it should be possible in American politics to strongly support someone, as Mayor Giuliani does George W. Bush, and not bash their opponents with negative attacks," he said.

"For Mayor Giuliani, it's a matter of principle and it's rooted in his respect and friendship with both candidates."

Pataki and Giuliani have had a rocky relationship - next Tuesday's primary but the latest chapter. In 1994, Giuliani backed incumbent Mario Cuomo over his fellow Republican Pataki in New York's governor's race. Only last year, Bush pushed Pataki, the chair of his New York campaign, to support Giuliani for the Senate. That way, Bush could sail to the GOP nomination and boost his chances of carrying New York in the fall.

But along came John McCain and away went that rosy scenario. McCain's New York campaign co-chair is Guy Molinari, a former Congressman who's now the Staten Island Borough President. And Molinari is politically close to, guess who, Giuliani.

Still, Pataki and Giuliani seem to be geting along better lately than, say, Bush and McCain. Their aides said the Governor and the Mayor will accompany Bush on a statewide campaign swing on Friday and Saturday.