Posted on 03/26/2007 6:19:47 AM PDT by pissant
Rudolph Giuliani's wife, Judith, will "continue to play an important role" in his presidential campaign, his spokesman said Friday, despite grumbling from within the ex-mayor's circle that her involvement is creating tensions in the organization.
The statement of solidarity came from campaign spokesman Michael McKeon one day after Giuliani's third spouse confirmed publicly that she has been divorced twice, not once, as widely reported when they married. She was married to a man named Jeffrey Ross, now of Florida, from 1974 to 1979.
"She's going to continue to play an important role in the campaign, traveling with her husband, introducing him at various events, and at the appropriate time, doing her own travel -- and helping people see Rudy Giuliani as the man that he is," McKeon said.
In private statements, some Giuliani loyalists said she directly intervenes with senior staff members who have been with him for many years on matters from scheduling to event planning and use of personnel, sometimes in ways that the staff members might wish to resist but dare not.
"She's, uh, feisty, as they say," said a supporter, a former aide. "She will be the most media-covered First Lady of them all -- you can be sure of it. This is going to be one big opera. The staff people go a little nuts. They can't say anything."
When asked of any tensions caused by her role, McKeon said: "She is a positive force for Rudy, a very strong supporter for Rudy, and nothing but an asset to him and the campaign."
The couple are expected to appear on next week's "20/20" with Barbara Walters.
A typical spouse?
Some in the Giuliani camp said her role is typical for a politician's spouse.
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
"She's, uh, feisty, as they say," said a supporter, a former aide. "She will be the most media-covered First Lady of them all -- you can be sure of it. This is going to be one big opera. The staff people go a little nuts. They can't say anything."
What's with these liberal men marrying these kinds of women?
I hate to tell you all I told you so a while ago. But I tell you again ,"I told ya all so!" Now that I have rubbed it in watch the prediction here there is more to come . The press is not done with her yet. She is a big rock around his far too liberal neck.
NOT. First. Lady. Material.
My point is, what else are we going to learn that could make for a very bad first lady?
My trust in Gulliani just went down a few points--in the below zero area. This woman apparently is thinking that she will be a very active first lady---I wonder how much harm lies ahead when more revelations come out.
Ok I am confused....I thought he was estranged from this wife and had a "constant companion" at his side......
Me thinks Mrs. Gold-digger....er...Guiliani has a few skeletons in her closet.
Such brave conservatives - attack the wife instead of challenging the candidates positions. Ronnie Reagan is spinning in his grave.
Good to see that you refrained from jumping on Hillary, Kitty Dukakis and Theresa Heinz Kerry for being the dingbats they are.
I cannot recall Kitty Dukakis' positions except that she had a drug problem similar to Betty Ford. Married to a putz like Michael Dukakis, who can blame her?
I want a POTUS who makes up his mind and takes action, not one who takes action that pleases his wife. To that extent, Ford was a huge disappointment and Regan's second term was as well. Nancy (and Mike Deaver) took over, perhaps because of Ronnie's cognitive decline. Maybe GWB's compassion overruling conservativism has something to do with his wife. She's a classy lady, but I never voted for her.
Somehow, I don't think that Rudy follows his wife's advice. Hence, three marriages. In that light, maybe it's not such a bad thing.
Reagan's decline in his second term was so bad that he finished off the USSR.
He pushed them in his first term and they fell in his second. Some times it takes a monolithic force time to realize it has been fatally wounded.
I am not trying to disparage RR, just his wife's influence in the second term. (Remember the calls to "let Reagan be Reagan")?
I have professional expertise and experience in the area of cognitive assessment. Ronnie's Alzheimer's Disease was likely operating in a mild fashion years before it was officially diagnosed. As is often the case, family members wait too long to take action because they think that the person is simply acting their age.
His last years would have been better for himself and his family had he been prescribed Aricept or an equivalent drug a few years earlier.
He pushed even harder in his second term. The negotiations in Reykjavik sealed the USSR's fate. He went against all of his advisers to walk away from missile defense. The media was aghast. But he knew exactly what he was doing. Not to mention his "tear down this wall speech in Berlin, once again setting his "handlers" into panic mode.
I do not abide by the idea that Reagan lost something over his 8 years.
His farewell speech upon leaving office showed no signs of reduced mental capacity
Cognitive decline and reduced mental capacity are often not the same thing, depending on what you mean by "reduced mental capacity".
Alzheimer's victims retain their verbal intelligence well throughout the early stages of the disease and often into the middle stages. Cognitive decline starts with short-term memory loss and often includes executive function (planning), concentration and attention. It moves slowly, so families often miss the early signs (Kind of like realizing your kid has grown 3" one summer).
Maybe it would be more accurate to say that the Reagan White House saw Nancy's unusually high involvement in the last two years of his term. I was not happy with it because Nancy was influenced by MSM editorials. Ronnie was a great man who thought for himself. He is the reason I am a conservative today.
oh Lord does she sound like a piece of work or WHAT?
His farewell speech upon leaving office showed no signs of reduced mental capacity
Not to mention his address to the GOP convention in 1992 (four years AFTER his term was over).
I think that Laura Bush will be a very tough act to follow as First Lady. She's beautiful, charming and genteel. I'll miss both the Bushes but, of the two, I might just miss her a little more.
Laura Bush is a class act. I have a feeling that when her husband is heading down the right path, it's when he's listening to her.
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