Yesterday I stumbled accross Ed Koch's attack on Rudy Giuliani in a local bookstore. I thumbed through the large print of Giuliani: Nasty Man
(easy to read at my age) and found a chapter that actually explains Giuliani's appeal. In what he thought was a savage demolition of Giuliani's mayoral record, Koch called him "a great NYC Police Commissioner." Koch meant it as a put-down, but I think it may turn out to be a compliment.
Koch's label can help Giuliani overcome the jinx that prevented other NYC mayors, like John Lindsay and Ed Koch, from reaching the Oval Office. For Giuliani can run as a former NYC Police Commissioner, just like Teddy Roosevelt. According to the law of unintended consequences, Ed Koch may have done Giuliani a favor.
TR served as NYC Police Commissioner before he became President. Like Giuliani, Roosevelt was a maverick Republican, a Progressive who believed in peace through strength. He built up US Navy's "Great White Fleet"--and never had to use it. He presided over the expansion of American power throughout the world, and the dynamic growth of American industry at home. Peace and prosperity were the hallmarks of the Roosevelt Era. TR's enduring popularity helped Franklin Roosevelt (his cousin) win the Democratic nomination during the Great Depression. His "Square Deal" was a forefunner of the "New Deal."
Not bad for a NYC Police Commissioner. Here's a link to his bio on Wikipedia.
