FR is a vacuum. Almost nobody in the general electorate is as tuned in, or as conservative, as the average Freeper. The climate on the outside is just not that hospitable to GOPers, regardless of pockets of denial here and there on this forum.
Pop culture check - Ohio Valley Wrestling, a developmental territory for the WWE, has a wrestler who is a strong GOP and Dubya booster. He is a 'bad guy' and routinely booed by the crowd.
Some Freepers can't seem to accept that he is a president who is now comfortably with low approval who has lost the confidence of many Americans. He is a huge minus for the GOP in 2008, and a successful GOP candidate must distinguish himself or herself strongly from this administration, which has simply fallen and can't get up.
I think a big part of Rudy's appeal is that he can make a clear, persuasive, and cogent case for himself. Dubya just can't do it - he comes across as befuddled and out of touch, as well as downright incoherent. Rudy's style is about as different from Dubya's style as you can get. For most GOPers (and most Americans), that's a good thing.
For those preferring to live in the FR Vacuum, denial ain't a river in Egypt, and DST mandates that you change your calendars from 1956 to 2007.