RUDY: SHE'S NO EVIL STEPMOM; DEFENDS JUDI FROM HIS SON'S PARENT RAP (Judi's bitter divorce saga)

NY POST ^ | March 6, 2007 | GEOFF EARLE with Maggie Haberman

[Liz]

Rudy Giuliani vigorously defended his wife, Judith, as the perfect stepmom just days after his son, Andrew, revealed he doesn't get along with her. "My wife, Judith, is a loving and caring mother and stepmother," Giuliani told reporters after a meeting with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and county sheriffs.....he stood foursquare behind his wife, whose highly public relationship with Giuliani began while he was still married to the mother of his two kids.

Andrew Giuliani bluntly disclosed.... "There's obviously a little problem that exists between me and his wife." Sources familiar with the difficult relationship between the Giuliani kids and their stepmom said it started deteriorating before the couple married June 2003, but went south quickly after the wedding.

Giuliani's kids had hoped to carve out time to spend with their dad alone as things got worse, but he opted against it, the sources said.

At the same time, Rudy was involved in the life of Judith's daughter, Whitney, and even spoke at her graduation from York Preparatory school in May 2004. Sources say Giuliani has not visited Andrew at Duke, and that his relations with Caroline also are strained....even worse than with his son. Before she wed Giuliani, Judith went through a bitter court fight with Bruce Nathan over who would have custody of their daughter. Her ex-husband filed court papers in 2001 that said his daughter ran away from her mother when she was 16 and voluntarily moved in with him during the time when her mother was regularly at Giuliani's side in public while he was trying to get a divorce from Hanover.

[Liz]

Why is it that Rudy could go to all of these funerals and hold hands with all of these widows, widowers, and children who lost their parents, but could not invest time with his own kids by going to their school events, or visit his son at college, etc? He had time to go to his present wife's daughter's graduation, but he didn't have time to visit his two kids in college? Was Rudy incapable of spending time with his kids while at the same time taking care of his city? If so, what does that say about his qualifications for the job as president? Not much if you ask me.

Worth repeating, dmw. Nice take.

As AIRBORNE POSTED To OldFriend: I suppose he couldn't take one afternoon off from going to all those 9/11 funerals, could he? ....At the same time, sources said, he was involved in the life of Judith's daughter, Whitney, and even spoke at her graduation from York Preparatory school in May 2004. Were there still 9/11 funerals going on in May 2004?

[angkor]

Gee, I have a good Christian friend who lost his wife after a lengthy battle with cancer. After a few years of mourning (all the while focusing on the wellbeing of his two early-teens children), he felt ready for a relationship with another Christian woman, and it blossomed.

Happiness again? Nope. One of the kids went totally out of character and made his life a living hell during the year of that relationship. It was made clear that Dad was not to have any new spouse or girlfriend in place of Mom. It was so bad that he in fact gave up the relationship.

The point is that teen or even post-teen children have powerful emotions about marital disruptions that are unlikely to provide any useful information about the "goodness" or "badness" of the parents.

I'll go further: to use teen (teen children!) assessments of a marriage as definitive or even accurate is foolish and shows a complete lack of adult wisdom.

Not that one expects wisdom from the New York Post.

[veronica]

Compared to Reagan's family, this one is normal.

[mewzilla]

It does count but the issues are where he will crash and burn.

If he flunks the character test, I won't care where he stands on the issues.

[dmw]

"Compared to Reagan's family, this one is normal."

Maybe it seems that way now, but how's it gonna play out in the next three to five years if Rudy is in the White House? Just what America needs, another family feud being played out while terrorists are trying to figure out how to bring us down.

[Nick Thimmesch]

"Its getting dirty a little early. Now lets hear about Hillary's affair with Web Hubbell."

From what knowledge do you speak: details, please.

nick.thimmesch@earthlink.net

Thanks!

[veronica]

I think Rudy is perfectly capable of fighting terrorism. There is plenty of Bush family drama, (in fact Neil's nutty ex-wife reminds me of Donna Hanover) - and Bush manages to forge on.

[Fierce Allegiance]

Post 31 says it all people!

Yeah! Well, only if you are politically ignorant, that is. Go wash your hands now.

[tioga]

Rudy should have said "no comment" - NOW the headlines appear to imply he choses his new wife over his son.....it is a no-win situation to comment.....

[Jim Noble]

My wife, Judith, is a loving and caring mother and stepmother,"

She's hot, too.

I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that.

[Fawn]

Will you people please get a grip?? WHO CARES about his marriages and his sons graduation. What a bunch of high school selfish babies.....we are AT WAR WITH TERRORISTS! 'REAL WORLD ALERT!!' WAKE UP AND SMELL THE SMART BOMBS AND BEHEADINGS ......COMING TO A THEATER 'NEAR YOU'.

Rudy understands what's important. And these people are condemning him over a high school graduation??????? HUH????? GOOD LORD. Talk about a feely touchy bunch of head in the sand woosies.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I'm sorry, I do not follow your post. What do you mean?

[Calpernia]

Fawn's right Liz. We have nothing to worry about. The Stonewall Vets will beat off the terrorists with their purses.

[angkor]

what qualifications a mayor with not military or foriegn policy experience has in national security

Red herring. Starting with GWB and working backwards, list the "military or foriegn policy experience" of the last 10 presidents. That'll get you reoriented in the right direction.

Second, let's take your concern about the nebulous term "national security." Change that to "city, state, regional, corporate, organizational", to wit, "practical security", and then peruse the web site http://www.giulianipartners.com/default.aspx.

Note that the $100 million annual revenues Giuliani Partners is a security consulting firm. Security is what they do.

I can't believe you think there's a single "candidate" out there with more experience with and knowledge of practical security matters. It's preposterous, and if you can't "see any", then you are being willfully blind.

[OESY]

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, NEW YORK POST, March 6, 2007

THE ISSUE: Whether photos of Giuliani's good-humored cross-dressing will mar his bid for prez.

It's sad that some people have to deeply analyze the fact that Rudy Giuliani dressed in a gown once at some benefit dinner ("Rudy Dragged Down," March 3). If this is the only thing that is stopping some so-called conservatives from joining the Giuliani for president team, then these people have some psychological problems that need to be addressed. I was there the night Giuliani dressed in a gown, and I can assure you that even though he did it for a charitable purpose, he was not too comfortable doing so. To all of you who think that this is a serious issue for a presidential contender: Get a life!
-- Joe De Fronzo Albany

****

This picture was taken a number of years ago at the Inner Circle show at the Hilton, an amusing song-and-dance spoof of the mayor and other well-known politicians that is put on each spring. Immediately after our show, whoever is mayor that year puts on his own humorous rebuttal to our jokes. The proceeds from the evening are donated to 20 charities. Giuliani's performance was extremely amusing, and the 2,000 members of the audience thoroughly enjoyed his humor and his ability to laugh at himself. With your headline, and no mention in the article of when or where that photograph was taken, the reader might easily assume that this outfit is a permanent part of our former mayor's wardrobe, which it certainly is not. With what is going on in the world today, it's refreshing to have someone with a sense of humor who can occasionally make us laugh instead of cry.
-- Kristi Witker Manhattan

****

With claims of Giuliani in drag and Sen. Barack Obama's kin once owning slaves, it looks like The Post's editors are on Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign staff.

-- Ray Graziano Hawthorne, N.J.


COMMENT: The New York Post did not endorse both Sens. Schumer and Clinton (and Gov. Spitzer) because they wanted to see these pols fail. Now, tghe Post is looking for those who think Rudy's display of a sense of humor at a fundraiser outweighs a candidate's proven leadership, integrity and effectiveness as a crime-fighter and as a mayor of an "ungovernable" city with tough and consistent support of the president's War on Terror. The Hillary Camp and the Post will try to exploit this frivolous "wedge" issue to the Hilt, that is, to a Hillary Triumph in 2008. Useful Idiots are wanted for their campaign. Surely, there are more critical campaign issues.

.

[veronica]

Some people just hate it when other people find happiness.

[spikeytx86]

Yeah but even if he was a good boy at home I still would not have believed slick willie. Any one who has his campaign financed by the CHICOMS is probably not the most trustworthy LOL!

[Jim Noble]

I'm sorry, I do not follow your post. What do you mean?

Sorry, I was being flip.

I meant that, even if every bad thing one could say or invent about Rudy+Judi were true, it would not alter my perception of his public service.

I know we disagree, and while I respect your POV, I'm pretty convinced about mine.

[angkor]

another family feud being played out while terrorists are trying to figure out how to bring us down.

Seems you are willfully "unremembering" the shennagins of Patty Davis and Ron Reagan Jr. during the Reagan era.

Guess you've not heard about partying with the Bush twins, or Jenna Bush's forged prescriptions, or the rest of it.

Selective memory. Obvious to anyone reading your post.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I only said it looks like they have a loving relationship, or something like that.

Cripes, i give Rudy props, and still cach s4it from you abortion loving rudy fans.