“I want to see someone who really stands up for America,” Rudy Giuliani told Fox News this morning, “and not someone who writes letters to the ayatollahs, like Obama did.”  Giuliani formally endorsed Mitt Romney this morning after explaining that had Newt Gingrich done better, Giuliani might have had a very different conversation with the hosts of Fox and Friends this morning:

This isn’t exactly a shocker, or a game-changer. New York goes to the polls tomorrow for its proportional primary, which Romney is going to win handily with or without Giuliani’s endorsement. If Romney gets to 50%, which should really be no problem with Santorum out of the race, Romney will take all 95 delegates, plus most of those from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Still, this helps Republicans rally around the all-but-official nominee, at least in some part, especially since Romney hit Giuliani pretty hard in the previous presidential campaign. Stick around to about the 3:20 mark, where Giuliani gets challenged on his kind words about Romney after the new presumptive nominee ran a tough campaign against him in 2008.  Giuliani laughs and says, “Newt’s going to have to get over this, too”:

When you have one of these things, it leaves animosity, no doubt about it.  The only time it didn’t happen was with John McCain, because John was an old friend, and we sort of palled around a lot when we campaigned against each other, told a lot of jokes. Usually, ones I can’t repeat.  I love John.  I almost didn’t run because John was running, so it was easy for me — I just got out and supported him.  I see that [toughness] as a virtue.  I don’t think the Democrats have any idea what they’re running against.  I mean, Mitt Romney is a tough, tough campaigner, and his campaign organization is really tough.

Of course, Rudy got the veepstakes question, and he pronounced himself “sure” that he’s not on the list, but pledged to help Romney out in any way he can. It’s unlikely that Giuliani would get picked; if Romney wants another Northeasterner on the ticket, he can pick Chris Christie, which is also unlikely but at least in the ballpark. Speaking of ballparks, though, be sure to catch Giuliani’s delight over the results of the game at Fenway for its 100th anniversary celebration.