Rudy Giuliani Feels Mark Sanford's Pain
Rudy Giuliani has been trying to worm his way back into the public conversation the past few days. He penned an op-ed for the Times yesterday, jumping into the political mess in Albany by proposing, among other things, a constitutional convention to institute term limits on lawmakers and stricter campaign finance laws. But he didn't speak out because he's considering a run for governor in 2010. Don't be silly. It's because he cares about New York and fixing the political gridlock in Albany. ("This is done really out of frustration as a New Yorker," he explained.)
This interest in fixing up Albany didn't stop him from taking to Fox News to talk about the protests in Iran: He started off the segment by saying that he wouldn't be able to critique President Obama's handling of the situation because he didn't enough info. Which didn't stop him from doing just that about two minutes later. (He also said yesterday he wasn't going to place any blame for the crisis in Albany on Gov. David Paterson, although he was perfectly happy to do so last week.)
But his decision to jump back into the political fray this week did work out well in one weird, totally unexpected way. When news of Mark Sanford's affair came to light yesterday, he became the perfect guest to talk about how personal indiscretions can get in the way of one's political aspirations. Iran may not be Rudy's bread and butter. Cheating on your wife and lying about it? No one can touch Rudy in that regard.
Of course we don't have to tell you that the former mayor doesn't think that Sanford's sins are a big deal, only present a momentary stumbling block, and won't really impact his long-term political prospects. That's exactly what Rudy has telling himself before bed for years now.
Giuliani yet to decide on bid for governor [CNN]
Rudy Giuliani calls Albany 'bizarre' [NYDN]