Scott Shepard, Cox News Service
The legendary humorist Will Rogers would be baffled by the 2008 presidential campaign. He, after all, famously quipped: "I belong to no organized party. I am a Democrat." So what would he make of the fact that this time around, it is the Republicans -- not the Democrats -- making noises about bolting the party because of ideological differences?

The reason? Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has supported abortion rights, gay rights and gun control, continues to sit atop the national polls as the choice for the 2008 Republican nomination. And that does not sit well with one of the most important parts of the Republican Party base -- religious conservatives, or "faith voters," as their leaders like to describe them.

Almost two weeks ago, about 50 Christian conservatives met privately in Salt Lake City to discuss what to do if Giuliani wins the GOP nomination. Some, such as the influential James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, emerged from the meeting to suggest that they would bolt the GOP and support a third-party candidate.

But two other influential social conservative leaders sought last week to discourage talk of leaving the GOP. At a breakfast with reporters Wednesday, Gary Bauer, president of American Values and a candidate for the 2000 GOP nomination, and Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, warned against leaving the GOP vulnerable to a united Democratic Party next year.

"Nobody desires to go out and create a third party," Perkins said.

Even so, supporting Giuliani as the Republican nominee in 2008 would be difficult. "Of all the candidates, Mayor Giuliani is the most problematic from the standpoint of values-motivated voters," Bauer said. Moreover, "it's not enough to be just better than Hillary [Rodham Clinton]," Bauer added.

All nine Republican presidential candidates, including Giuliani, will address the Family Research Council's three-day "Washington Summit" for religious conservatives, which kicks off Friday. And for the first time in the history of the event, there will be a straw poll to determine the favorite GOP candidate.