Using Rudy as bait in bait-and-switch

If you wrote a $25,000 check to the Republican Governors Assn., thinking you could golf at Whistling Straits Thursday with Rudy Giuliani, you've been had. Big time.

The event, hosted by the RGA and guv wannabe Rep. Mark Green, was scaled back because of Thursday's terrorism alert, which caused two expected guests, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, to cancel. Tommy Thompson and Mark Green still showed.

And Giuliani? It turned out that although the RGA and Green have been saying he was coming for a month, he never was coming.

The GOP and Green had been hyping Rudy as a draw, and right until the last minute his name appeared in all of the listings and stories previewing the event.

I did find one listing with an asterisk next to Giuliani's name, saying "pending final schedule confirmation." But clearly the organizers knew long before Thursday that Rudy would be a no-show.

If you came to eat barbecue with Rudy and had to settle for Mark Green, you probably have the basis for a consumer complaint. It's called bait and switch.