I'm going to start by confessing that I started out with a sort of nostalgic degree of "like" to him. When he was sworn in as mayor, his son Andrew, who was about 11 or so, stood there at his elbow, and mouthed and mimicked every gesture that Giuliani was to make in his speech. It was very sweet. It made me think of him as a family man. After all, his son had witnessed him practicing this speech so many times that he was able to mimic it.

Well, he pissed that good feeling all away. With his incredible callousness with his affair with Judith/Judy Nathan, and the whole debacle over him revealing his decision to divorce his wife during a press conference before he had told his wife or his kids, to the crap over Gracie Mansion. That was ugly.

And Andrew. He doesn't support his dad's candidacy. Neither does Giuliani's daughter.

But still, I thought Giuliani might not be a terrible president. Personal life problems don't necessarily mean bad leadership. Reagan had very troubled relationships with his kids, but it wasn't held against him. Clinton led even though sex scandals embroiled his administration.

So Giuliani appeared to me to be an effective candidate for the Republicans. (I'm a Democrat, BTW, so I'm really most concerned that the Republican candidate, if he or she wins, won't be a disaster).

Then, other problems started cropping up. There were lots of reports that Giuliani had not been entirely without blame for the problems with first responders after 9/11, because he had put the crisis response team in the 7 World Trade Center. There is also many first responders who challenge Giuliani's claims of his glorious participation. YouTube - NY FIRE CHIEF *GIULIANI IS A COWARD WHO RAN AWAY ON 9/11*

OK, OK, problems. But I did think that he was a moderate Republican. He was pro-choice, he was tolerant about gay rights, he was against the flat tax. Those times have passed though, haven't they. He now disavows all of this. That sort of takes him off of my leader board for an acceptable candidate. Better the devil you know, and all that. Some of you made fun of Kerry for his "I voted for it and then I was against it." But Kerry's point was that he switched his position when he found out more information. Giuliani's positions are changing on issues just because of political tides. He needs to change his position to obtain the Republican nomination, and he is more than willing to do that.

Then there is his relationship with Judith/Judy Nathan. He started charging New Yorkers with her security long before his affair with her was known (and thus subject to possible threats upon her security). And then he billed her security against tiny little state agencies, like the New York City Loft Board, which footed $34,000 of travel expenses, the Office for People with Disabilities and the Procurement Policy Board.

Ok, sleazy. But even worse was his relationship with Bernard Kerik, BFF, indicted for taking bribes from businessmen with mob ties. Just Goggle their relationship, and ask yourself whether you are comfortable with Giuliani.

So, I once liked him. Now I think he is spooky, spooky, spooky. Besides which, he can't defend himself on these issues. I'll admit to have grown calloused after the last eight years. It doesn't surprise me anymore that a candidate can't express himself in any way that I can understand.

But here are two videotapes which I think do show the problems that Giuliani might have to confront in the coming months:

One, he can't answer a question without chortling or giggling out it: Talking Points Memo | Rudy Giggliani!

Second, his patronage of Judith/Judy Nation is problematic to say the least: YouTube - Rudy Giuliani Ad Parody: A Question Of Security

Third, he doesn't have support, or at least not the sort of support that you would expect, from first responders in 9/11: YouTube - Giuliani Gets Exposed As Fraud by Firefighters Actually, if you search the web, the degree of antagonism towards Giuliani is absolutely stunning.

Here is what it comes down to for me. My nostolgic like for the guy because of his son's sweet mimicking was stupid. It didn't make him a good person. Even his son isn't behind him now.

He is intent on winning, so everything that he once said he now detracts.

While he chants 9/11, 9/11, 9/11, the folks who were there don't support him.

He surrounds himself with dirty people and neocoms.

He has used public money to further his affair. And then billed little agencies for it.

I didn't even go into the meetings that he missed because he was out raising money for his campaign, where he invoked his participation in committees whose meetings he had missed. To quote Brittany Spears, "my bad."

So, he's your candidate? Why, pray tell?

What's even more interesting is that he is probably the best the Republicans have to offer this time around.

I personally think the guy is a "walking joke" with only one awful day to hang his hat on!

I pray he is the Republican candidate to assure a Democrat victory in November...BUT I'm not sure the Republicans THAT stupid??

I'm not so sure about that. I'm still trying to figure out who I'm voting for, but I feel he's not the best the Republicans have. And the Democrats really don't have much to offer either!!

Well most of the Repubs are rather frightening. Rudy is simply the least scary. And fortunately, so far the American public seems to agree with me on that.

And of course I totally disagree with your statement about the Dems. They don't have a single person running that I would feel bad about if they won. And I have to say that has never happened before. I don't totally agree with all their positions on everything but I still feel they would all do well as president.

Of course the bar is so low, who wouldn't? Some pundit said today that if Bush were running today that there are several venereal diseases that would beat him. Im still laughing when I think of that comment.

I think Rudy would be very scary as president. The word megalomaniac comes to mind.