Robert Novak thinks he might be:

The acceptance of former Rep. Jim Nussle to be President Bush's budget director provides more evidence that Republican presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani is downgrading his effort in Iowa caucuses leading off the GOP delegate selection process next January.

When Giuliani bowed out of this summer's Republican presidential straw poll at Ames, Iowa, the former New York City mayor's camp insisted he was not abandoning the caucuses. But Nussle, defeated for governor of Iowa last year, was the most prominent Iowan for Giuliani. The perception in Iowa is that Nussle would not become Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director if Giuliani were serious about the caucuses.