...or is Rudy Giuliani much to do about not much?

Quiz: Who was the base commander at Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th, 1941? Who was the mayor of Johnstown, PA when the dam broke in 1889? Who was the mayor of Oklahoma City in 1995 when the Murrah Federal Building blew up? Who was the mayor of New York in Feb,1993 when Ramzi Yousef exploded 1,500 lbs of dynamite under the World Trade Center? When choosing the person best qualified to run the country, the correct answer for all four questions is, "Who cares". Why then, are we so taken with the guy who was mayor of New York when disaster struck in 2001? Because he gives good press conference? Frankly, I'd rather have a leader who had a few answers before the attack or who was somehow prepared for trouble.(Establishing your Emergency Control Center inside the WTC after it had already been marked as a target is not "preparing for trouble"). If all I wanted in a leader was a guy who looked mournful and indignant while standing in the rubble, we could elect Lonesome George again. I don't hear anyone suggesting that Ray Nagen of New Orleans run for president. Mayor Nagen had to actually do something. He had a much more difficult job because many of his victims were still alive and in desperate need. Electing Rudy Giuliani to the presidency based on his performance during 9/11 would be like electing Capt E. J. Smith of the Titanic as head of the White Star Shipping Line. If you avert disaster you're a hero. If you capitalize on disaster you're a swine. Not to paint too dark a picture here but prior to 9/11 Rudy was the laughing stock of New York. The stories of his extra-marital affair ( out #2 - in # 3) was daily fodder for the New York Post. Rudy was worth about $2 million on 9/10/01. Since the towers fell, America's mayor is a rock star. He is conservatively worth about $60 million and just last year cleared $11.4 million in speaking fees. He also has an honorary knighthood from the Queen. I suspect that Elton John will someday compose a song about him. Why not? They have the same hair dresser. But you gotta love a guy who marries his second cousin (wife #1) then fifteen years later, after canoodling soon-to-be-wife #2, appeals to the Roman Catholic Church to have the marriage annulled because he didn't know that his wife was his second cousin. You can't make this stuff up. Who did he think she was at all those family reunions...the caterer? But wait! We are told that Rudy did far more for New York than attend the funerals of policemen and firemen. While leader of New York from 1994 to 2001, America's Mayor reduced crime in a city that was thought to be beyond hope. Well, if a drop in the crime stats is the Giuliani legacy than why is there no grass roots effort to draft former Mayor Sharpe James of Newark, N.J.? His crime record is far superior to that of Mayor Rudy. (The fact that he committed many of the crimes himself is beside the point). Tom Bradley of Los Angeles saw crime decline in his city during the same period and Bradley had Rodney King to deal with. One helper that Mayors James and Bradley did not have in their war on crime was Bernie Kerik. Non-New Yorkers may not remember Mr Kerik. He was the Horatio Alger-esque detective who rose from being Mr. Giuliani's driver to the rank of Commissioner of the Department of Corrections. Mr. Kerik recently plead guilty to corruption charges and is currently facing federal tax and conspiracy allegations. This guy could swing the crime rate all by himself. If the idea of electing Rudy Giuliani to the office of President is strange, then the idea of nominating him as a Republican is downright bizarre. Only in New York , home of the liberal wing of the Republican Party (long deceased) would Rudy Giuliani be considered a Republican. Consider: He has been married three times. The first two ended by extramarital affairs. As stats go he is approaching Henry VIII. He supports a women's right to chose. (For the dummies at Liberty University that means he's pro abortion.) He's pro gun control. (That should wow 'em in Texas.) In two of his mayoral campaigns he ran on the Liberal party ticket. (Take that, Hilary!) In 1997 he was endorsed by The New York Times. (Those commies!) He's pro gay. Hell, he's got more photos of himself in women's clothes than Dame Edna. His law firm has lobbied for stem cell research. This guy is to the left of Denis Kucinich. How the religious right will be able to swallow this heathen is anybody's guess. Given a choice between Rudy and Hilary, I imagine that they will opt for a Jim Jones Kool-Aid Cocktail. Come to think of it, this is the perfect guy to follow in the footsteps of GWB. After the hash that this administration has made of American-European relations, Rudy is the perfect antidote. With his reputation in the sack, the French will treat him like the next Jerry Lewis.