Voters gave Rudy Giuliani a public flogging in Florida on Tuesday and gave conservatives much to ponder.

Among conservatives, the former New York Mayor has stuck out like a badly beaten thumb when it comes to wedge issues like gay marriage and abortion rights, but his decision to stake his one-time front-running candidacy on the outcome of Florida's primary has baffled many, including me.

In a dizzying fall from the top of the heap in 2007 to Tuesday's disappointing third-place showing, Giuliani's crippled campaign now has zero momentum heading into Super Tuesday on Feb. 5. The once-proud mayor was expected to bow out of the campaign today, but not without causing a stir.

Before riding off into the sunset, Giuliani is expected to throw a fiery molotov cocktail into the mix by urging his supporters to back Arizona Sen. John McCain. Most pundits believe the Republican nomination now comes down to McCain (who won Florida) and former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney (who placed second). Conservatives have some concerns about McCain, and have leaned surprisingly toward Romney, despite Romney's last-minute teeth-grinding swerve to the right.

Whether this is a genuine show of good will on Giuliani's part or a calculated move to cause further friction between conservatives and McCain, no one can know for sure. What is certain is that Giuliani's decision will likely galvanize moderate Republicans behind McCain and perhaps attract fence-riding independents to his cause. Whether these added supporters are enough to offset McCain's dwindling conservative vote remains to be seen.