Was there anything more emblematic of New York City's depravity and decay in the 1990s than the brief celebrity of Andrew Giuliani, spawn of hell? Horrifically combining mom Donna Hanover's WASP entitlement with dad Rudy's ethnic-white resentment, roly-poly Chucky-doll-look-alike Andy bounded across the local news in what was, in hindsight, our first warning of the terror and fascism to come. Really, if character-concerned voters are going to fault Obama for not having the will-power to quit smoking, shouldn't Giuliani be immediately disqualified for, you know, not spanking that kid more? As reported in the Times today, spoiled rotten Andrew ended up hating his dad anyway. Yep, it's the evil stepmother's fault.

But Mr. Giuliani's relationship with Andrew has grown strained and distant since his very public and bitter divorce from Andrew's mother, Donna Hanover, and his marriage to Judith Nathan, according to Andrew and others familiar with the relationship.

In a telephone interview yesterday, Andrew, a sophomore and member of the golf team at Duke University, acknowledged having had difficulties with Ms. Nathan, and said that he and his father had recently tried to reconcile after not speaking "for a decent amount of time."

"There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife," the younger Mr. Giuliani said. "And we're trying to figure that out. But as of right now it's not working as well as we would like."

Something notable here: what's with Duke University being the destination of choice for no-necked slugs from the northeast with painstakingly manufactured skills in marginal non-sports?

Yeah, we're sure Tiger Woods is shaking from this news: "Andrew Giuliani said he would not participate in his father's campaign, saying his devotion to becoming a professional golfer within three years allows no time for distraction."

Seriously, America, snap out of your weird Giuliani fixation before it's too late. Take it from us: These are the worst people ever.

Noticeably Absent From the Giuliani Campaign: His Children [NYT]