Yes, Rudy Giuliani can beat John McCain for the GOP nomination, a top GOP pollster claims. Frank Luntz, the Republican strategist whose polling helped create Newt Gingrich's "contract with America," has published an opinion piece in today's Daily News claiming that Rudy can beat McCain because GOP voters are looking for "the triumvirate of results, success and solutions." All of these, needless to say, are embodied by Rudy, according to Luntz. Key quote:

Though McCain may not sound like one or act like one, he's been a Beltway Republican, part of the Washington establishment for almost two decades. Giuliani can score considerable points by acknowledging McCain's willingness to buck the political system while subtly reminding Republicans of McCain's participation in that very system.

This leads to Giuliani's second great advantage: New York. While McCain is in Washington, a city of hearings and roll call votes, Giuliani is the embodiment of a city back on its feet...

My polling and focus groups make clear that Republican voters are not looking for the kind of "revolution" that swept their party into Congress in 1994. On the contrary, they are looking for what George W. Bush promised to be in 2000 -- a "reformer with results."

If Giuliani can present himself as that man, he can win the nomination.

Of course, there are two key words that don't appear in Luntz's piece -- "religious" and "conservative." Indeed, there's no mention at all of the socially conservative voters that dominate GOP primaries and hence constitute Rudy's chief hurdle. Which perhaps suggests that Luntz's argument isn't exactly deserving of serious study.