FOR THE RECORD

As Times columnist Gail Collins observed last week, someone who didn't know the details of the speeches by Rudy Giuliani and John Edwards withdrawing from the presidential campaign wouldn't have a hard time figuring out which one promised to devote himself from now on to fighting poverty in America.

Mr. Giuliani, on the other hand, is expected to focus his attention on strengthening the consulting and legal practices that he neglected while stumping for the White House. While business is good enough that he's unlikely to need a loan from the Bernard Kerik Legal Trust, there's been some slippage during his time on the campaign trail, a Giuliani Partners spokeswoman told the Times in a Feb. 1 article.

The former Mayor has not ruled out a future political race, but absent a dramatic change in the state of the nation, it seems pretty clear he's not going to return as a viable candidate for President. "I could see him perhaps as a gubernatorial candidate in New York," said veteran political consultant George Arzt. "The problem is, he would have to come back to his original positions on abortion and guns" after scrapping them to broaden his appeal to Republicans nationally. "How does he do that?"

Which is why Mr. Giuliani's most-viable options are in the business world, even though firms are no longer going to flock to his door motivated by the desire to ingratiate themselves with a future President. If anything, our boy Rudy is the one in that role now: it is widely believed that he opted not to go negative during the Florida primary once he fell behind in the polls because it would have later hurt him with Arizona Sen. John McCain, whom he is now supporting for President.

If Mr. McCain wins the Republican nomination and then is elected in November, Mr. Giuliani could conceivably wind up with a top cabinet post, but a more likely outcome would be that Giuliani Partners and his law firm, Bracewell and Giuliani, would once again be hot commodities because of the perception that his access in a McCain Administration could greatly benefit firms.

On the other hand, political consultant Maureen Connelly said, the days of Mr. Giuliani making a fortune giving speeches about 9/11 and leadership at corporate gatherings are likely over.

Alluding to the sparse turnouts at campaign appearances in Florida where he drew heavily on those same themes, she remarked, "I don't know that a lot of people are going to spend $100,000 to hear speeches from someone who people wouldn't go to hear for free."

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During his Jan. 28 speech in Albany taking issue with Governor Spitzer's reduction in some aid to the city under his budget proposal, Mayor Bloomberg engaged in what might be viewed as a Freudian slip while prefacing those criticisms by praising the Governor.

Before outlining for legislators the areas where the spending plan fell short of what the city was previously promised, the Mayor cited several admirable proposals that Mr. Spitzer had included. But in talking about a measure he said would improve the state's Child Health Plus insurance program, he stated, according to his administration's transcript of the speech as delivered, Mr. Bloomberg said, "The Governor's efforts to steam- streamline enrollment in public health insurances programs ..."

We figure that maybe prior to arriving at the capital, he'd made a few private remarks about the man formerly known as "Steamroller" Spitzer, and had it on the brain when he tripped over streamline.

He wasn't at the top of the credits alongside Julia Roberts and Woody Harrelson, but Queens City Council Member James Gennaro had a brief role in the documentary, "Fields of Fuel," that was honored by the attendees of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah two weeks ago.

The film focuses on why the U.S. is so dependent on foreign oil and ways to lessen its reliance. In it, Mr. Gennaro outlined a bill he has sponsored in the Council that would mandate that all heating oil sold in the city contain at least 20-percent biodiesel fuel while limiting sulfur content to no more than 15 parts per million. Biodiesel fuel is derived from renewable energy sources such as corn and sugar, and upon combustion emits less-harmful chemicals than most fuels.