NEW YORK (AP) – New York’s celebrity senator, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, generates near-constant buzz about a possible 2008 presidential bid. The outgoing governor, Republican George Pataki, has been making campaign reconnaissance trips to Iowa, site of the first-in-the nation presidential caucuses.

But for former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, the road to a possible presidential campaign has shaped up very differently. The man dubbed “America’s Mayor” for his take-charge performance after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has been flying under the media radar, building his businesses and enjoying a prosperous private life while assessing his chances in a crowded and conservative GOP primary field.

“Whatever he’s going to do, he isn’t going to tell us anytime soon,” said Steven Cohen, vice dean of the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and a longtime Giuliani watcher. “He’s a very astute politician, and I’m sure he’s aware of the problems he has to win the Republican nomination. It’s in his interest to keep his options open.”

Analysts agree that Giuliani’s long record of support for gay rights, gun control and legal abortion could disqualify him as a candidate among the conservatives who dominate GOP presidential primaries. Yet with the memory of his post-Sept. 11 leadership still fresh for many voters, Giuliani has been at or near the top of virtually every national poll of likely GOP presidential contenders, along with his good friend, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

But unlike McCain and many other potential contenders, Giuliani has largely avoided the national spotlight and the political hothouses of Iowa and New Hampshire. His spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel, said Giuliani spends his days promoting his consulting practice and developing his law practice. Last year, he became a named partner in a large Houston-based law firm, now called Bracewell & Giuliani, and opened its New York office.

Still, he has been in nearly constant motion, blending business trips, motivational speeches and the occasional political appearance into a potent mix of national connections – all of which could gel into a campaign effort if he chose to run.

“It’s no great secret that Rudy has been traversing the country from one end to the other, and he ties in his stops where he can meet movers and shakers in the political scene,” said former Staten Island Borough President Guy Molinari, a longtime Giuliani friend. “He’s a coveted speaker and there are a lot of people out there who’ve gotten to know him over the years. He can turn all of that to his political benefit.”

Consider Giuliani’s recent trip to Florida, where he addressed some 10,000 people at a “Get Motivated!” business seminar, one of many he’s headlined since last year. He paired that event with a speech before the Billion Soul Pastors Conference, a large convention of evangelical leaders in Orlando.

Giuliani, a Roman Catholic, told the pastors about his one-time call to the priesthood, according to James Davis, president of the Global Pastors Network, which sponsored the conference.

“He said he had a great appreciation for God’s word, God in general, and Christians in particular,” Davis said. “The mayor was warmly received and I thought he did an extraordinary job.”

Since campaigning vigorously for President Bush in 2004, Giuliani has been selective in granting other political endorsements. He signed a fundraising letter for Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a conservative running for re-election in November, praising his performance in the aftermath of last fall’s Gulf Coast hurricanes which devastated parts of the state.

Indeed, the recent preponderance of natural and man-made disasters around the globe had boosted Giuliani’s profile as a strong leader, said Fred Siegel, author of “Prince of the City: Giuliani, New York, and the Genius of American Life.”

“The events are talking for him – the London transit bombings, New Orleans, every time Nagin and Blanco make fools of themselves, which is often,” Siegel said, referring to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, whose responses to Hurricane Katrina have been widely criticized.

But skeptics remain unconvinced.

Marshall Wittmann, a former McCain aide and one-time legislative director for the Christian Coalition, said Giuliani’s record on social issues would be a “show stopper” for most conservative voters.

However, he added, many Republicans would find a McCain-Giuliani ticket irresistible.

“Rudy’s national security credentials could bring him to the No. 2 spot on ticket, but not No. 1,” Wittmann said. “Pro-life voters care about national security, but they are Republicans because it’s the pro-life party and they’d leave the party if it nominated a pro-choice candidate. The mayor’s an intelligent guy, and I’m certain he knows that.”