Rudy

I must admit, I'm now interested in reading the FA piece he did. Kaplan's read it. He's not very impressed:

Rudy Giuliani's essay in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, laying out his ideas for a new U.S. foreign policy, is one of the shallowest articles of its kind I've ever read. Had it been written for a freshman course on international relations, it would deserve at best a C-minus (with a concerned note to come see the professor as soon as possible). That it was written by a man who wants to be president—and who recently said that he understands the terrorist threat "better than anyone else running"—is either the stuff of high satire or cause to consider moving to, or out of, the country.

Now that's a lede! In fact, it's my second favorite ever lede about Rudy. This one is my favorite:

On 9/11, all Americans were frightened children, and in a moment of mythic personal heroism, Mayor Giuliani filled the gaping leadership void. The president looked like a petrified chimp; Cheney was spirited to an underground bunker. Only Giuliani could pull himself together sufficiently to get on TV in the midst of the wreckage and show America that a grown-up was still breathing. On that terrible day our reptile brains looked at Rudy Giuliani and said, "We're OK now. Daddy's home."

And we forgot, some for a moment, some permanently, that Daddy was psycho.

Anyway, back to Kaplan. He picks apart Rudy's piece by exerpting a section then ripping it to shreds. Perhaps not the most fair treatment, context and all that does matter sometimes, but it is very entertaining to read. And Kaplan really doesn't hold back:

"Constellations of satellites that can watch arms factories everywhere around the globe, day and night, above- and belowground ... must be part of America's arsenal."

Yes, and while we're at it, let's build anti-gravity machines, mind-reading robots, X-ray-vision telescopes, speed-of-light transporter-beams, time-travel kits, and intercontinental heat-seeking bullets. It's bad enough that so many foreigners believe in the omniscience of U.S. intelligence agencies; it's appalling that a presidential candidate seems to believe such sci-fi fantasies, too.

I'm going to read the FA piece in full. Somehow I don't think that Rudy is saved by context.

Rudy is emerging as a joke, a really dangerous joke, but a joke nonetheless. The more I hear, the more important it becomes to me to make sure this man never gets near the White House.