RUDY'S IN TROUBLE, BUT NOT BECAUSE OF THIS

As I said in the previous post, I think Rudy Giuliani has really damaged his campaign by deciding to put the issue of abortion in the foreground -- he seems as if he's responding to what other people are saying about him rather than just doing whatever the hell he pleases. He's a Republican, so that could be fatal.

This, on the other hand, isn't going to hurt him with Republican voters one bit:

Ground Zero Illnesses Clouding Giuliani's Legacy

...An examination of Mr. Giuliani’s handling of the extraordinary recovery operation during his last months in office shows that he seized control and largely limited the influence of experienced federal agencies. In doing that, according to some experts and many of those who worked in the trade center's ruins, Mr. Giuliani might have allowed his sense of purpose to trump caution in the rush to prove that his city was not crippled by the attack....

He seized control? He ignored the recommendations of career government workers? He decided what he wanted to do and threw caution to the winds? Ordinary people lost their lives or their good health trying to fulfill his vision?

You think GOP voters are going to think any of those are bad things? If so, have you been living on another planet for the last six years?

Bill Clinton famously said that voters would "rather have somebody who's strong and wrong than somebody who's weak and right." For GOP voters, it's more than that: not only do they prefer strong and wrong, they also seem that think that being called wrong (at least by people who aren't Republicans) is an additional sign of strength. If Republicans think you're strong, being called wrong by people who aren't Republicans only makes you seem stronger. And hurting ordinary Joes in pursuit of your goals makes you seem stronger still.