Kerik Fiasco Burns Rudy Politically

[NATO AIR]

bad for rudy,good for mccain/hagel?

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-anal12,0,7411534.story?coll=ny-homepage-big-pix

Flameout burns Rudy politically

Finding new nominee won't be easy task

BY GLENN THRUSH
STAFF WRITER

The short, disastrous nomination of Bernard Kerik ended with a whimper and may have ended Rudolph Giuliani's Teflon period -- a three-year stretch when his status as "America's Mayor" largely obscured his own shortcomings and the foibles of close associates.

Giuliani is still regarded as a serious presidential contender in 2008, but his political stock seems to have taken its first major tumble since he emerged as a national figure after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The Kerik debacle has also raised doubts about Giuliani's judgment in pushing his protege's nomination, considering Kerik's nanny troubles and an emerging string of unflattering business, personal and legal entanglements.

"It's an embarrassment for Giuliani if Giuliani wants to be president," said GOP consultant Nelson Warfield, who was Bob Dole's press secretary during the 1996 presidential campaign. "He's Kerik's biggest promoter and either he was reckless or uninformed, and neither of those things qualifies you for president. You'll never find anyone to say it, but this is a big negative with the Bush White House."

The Kerik firestorm, fueled by a New York media all too familiar with Giuliani and his aides, may portend even more intense scrutiny of Giuliani if he seeks national office.

The contrite former mayor, who was practically welded to President George W. Bush during the final weeks of the campaign, seems to have gotten the message.

At a Manhattan news conference yesterday, Giuliani said, "It's an embarrassment to me and to Bernie and those of us who supported him."

On Friday night, he apologized directly to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. "I'll speak to the president a little later," Giuliani said yesterday. "I told Andy that this is our responsibility. I'm sorry, we don't want to do anything to distract the administration."

Giuliani and Bush won't have to wait long to hash things out face-to-face. Both are scheduled to attend a holiday function at the White House later today, according to a source close to Giuliani.

Although local politicians publicly crowed about the former NYPD commissioner's nomination, many also expressed private doubts about Kerik's fitness to run a department that oversees 22 agencies with a total of 180,000 federal employees.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg hailed Kerik's selection. But Kerik's feud with current New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, a former high-ranking member of the Clinton administration, was one of the city's worst-kept secrets.

No single figure has been so closely associated with Giuliani during or after his City Hall tenure as Kerik. The 49-year-old former top cop, who has served as Giuliani's majordomo, confidante, correction commissioner and business partner, has enjoyed Giuliani's patronage and protection.

One national Republican strategist who supports Giuliani said that was part of the problem.

"I'm sorry, but the people around him are the Gang that Couldn't Shoot Straight," said the strategist, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I've had this conversation with U.S. senators and other party leaders and they all say the same thing: Rudy's got to hire a team of people who are ready for prime time and have a plan."
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