Vanity Fair's Crazy Rudy Article
by Ryan Sager
Tue, 1 May 2007 at 5:15 PM
updated Tue, 1 May 2007 at 5:22 PM
I'd say don't miss the Vanity Fair article that calls Rudy Giuliani crazy — except, it really doesn't add a single thing to the public's understanding of Rudy Giuliani. Perhaps you don't want to miss it just because other people aren't missing it. But there's not a lot to be gained from picking it up. Certainly don't waste your money on the magazine itself (just read it online), unless it's to read an impassioned call for a carbon tax.
Basically, the article boils down to calling Mr. Giuliani "crazy," flatly and repeatedly, without offering any evidence of such or making clear whether this is supposed to be a serious allegation of mental instability or mere name-calling.
If I had to guess, reading the whole thing, I'd say it's just intended to be name-calling.
Quite simply, the story has nothing that goes beyond rehashing anecdotes and personal history that are already common knowledge to any New Yorker or opposition researcher. Throw in a couple of quotes from people with grudges against Rudy and, apparently, you've got yourself a Michael Wolff column.
If the point is that Rudy has a dark side, is moody, is arrogant, etc. — well, yes. Now, show me a politician who lacks these qualities, and I'll show you someone who can't get much done in government. It's just a ludicrous line of attack, and it's certainly not going to hurt Rudy in the Republican primary.
And, while I've read this ferret rant before, I don't see how it's in any way damaging. In fact, I think it's just plain wonderful:
It's always worth recapping Giuliani's famous riposte to a ferret owner who called in to the mayor's weekly radio show to protest the city's ban on them as pets: "There is something deranged about you.… The excessive concern you have for ferrets is something you should examine with a therapist.… There is something really, really very sad about you.… This excessive concern with little weasels is a sickness.… You should go consult a psychologist.… Your compulsion about—your excessive concern with it is a sign that there is something wrong in your personality.… You have a sickness, and I know it's hard for you to accept that.… You need help."
You can listen to the whole thing here.
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