President Fuhgeddaboutit

Giuliani's creative incivility helps him as a candidate but it's of little use on the world stage

Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

Republican Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani speaks at the National Newspaper Association's annual Government Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 22, 2007.

As a New Yorker born and bred and vehement about my city, I thought Rudy Giuliani was a terrific mayor. He was a breath of fresh air after the dismal liberal hackery of his predecessor, David Dinkins. Giuliani made the city safer. He was an avid, detail-oriented manager, although he couldn't dent the city's school bureaucracy. He was an inspiring leader when the crisis came. He spoke his mind and did not suffer fools even a tiny bit--but then, creative incivility is part of the job description for a successful mayor of New York. I'm not sure, though, that incivility, no matter...

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