I’m not a Rudy Julie Annie supporter but to try and tie this incident around his neck is a stretch.
I don't know about that. Everyone makes a bad hire every once in a while, but Giuliani has a long history of hiring lawbreakers and unqualified, corrupt cronies to important positions. Here are some examples:
He appointed high school dropout and former driver Bernard Kerik to NYC Police Commissioner and pushed him for Homeland Security Chief. Kerik turned out to be corrupt and mob-connected. Giuliani later testified that he had been briefed on Kerik's lawbreaking -- yet he pushed him for the top anti-terrorism post in the country, and then went into business with him.
For NYC Chancellor of Education, Giuliani pushed Leon Goldstein, who later was forced to withdraw his candidacy in disgrace because he lied about his qualifications.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DB1539F93BA1575AC0A963958260
In 1995, Giuliani pushed Leonard Piccoli to an executive director job in NYC's public hospitals organization, despite the fact that Piccoli had been forced to resign from the same job in 1985 due to substantial contracts and ethics violations.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE6DC1739F93AA25756C0A963958260
One of Giuliani's closest political allies in NYC, Guy Velella, pled guilty to and served time for taking bribes in return for awarding government contracts.
''I endorsed him, I support him, I've worked with him, I know what a good job he's done for New York City and for the Bronx,'' Mr. Giuliani said. The mayor said he thought the disclosures about the criminal investigation would not seriously damage the senator.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E3DF1639F930A35752C1A9669C8B63&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVelella%2c%20Guy%20J%2e
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0420,robbins,53585,5.html
Giuliani's Probation Commissioner Raul Russi, and Deputy Probation Commissioner Louis Gelormino, later were dismissed from their jobs under Bloomberg because of their involvement in Velella's early release from jail.
http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10914FA355F0C708DDDA90994DC404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fV%2fVelella%2c%20Guy%20J%2e
After Ray Harding, head of NYC's Liberal Party, endorsed Giuliani, Giuliani appointed his son Russell Harding to head NYC's Housing Development Corporation -- even though Russell Harding was a college dropout with no experience in housing or finance (Giuliani chose a second son, Robert, as NYC's budget director, and later promoted him to deputy mayor). Russell Harding later pled guilty to embezzling hundreds of thousands in public funds, and to possessing child pornography.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0512,robbins2,62314,5.html
The Russell case brought down another of Giuliani's top appointees. Giuliani appointed Richard Roberts NYC Housing Commissioner, and Chairman of the Health and Hospitals Corporation; Roberts was later convicted of perjury related to a $38,000 SUV Russell Harding bought him with city funds.
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0436,robbins2,56554,5.html
Giuliani appointed his lifelong friend, Louis Carbonetti, Commissioner of NYC's Community Assistance Unit. Carbonetti was forced to resign when news came out that he failed to disclose more than $100,000 in business debts and back taxes and held two driver's licenses with slightly different names at the same time. He pleaded guilty in 2004 to perjury. Carbonetti's son, Anthony Carbonetti, was Giuliani's chief of staff and is now his senior political adviser.
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-lijani255229113may25,0,729089.story?coll=ny-lipolitics-headlines
Giuliani's friend Alan Placa was hired on at Giuliani Partners after Placa, a Long Island Priest, was barred from the ministry because of allegations of sexual abuse and using his role as a spiritual adviser to gain information from victims to strengthen the diocese's legal position.
http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=46&aid=19106
So, these are the types of hires Giuliani -- a candidate who is running on a "Leadership" platform -- makes? Giuliani, the supposed "Security" candidate shows either no ability or no inclination to vet the records of his important hires (or he doesn't care if they are corrupt)?
If this were an isolated incident, I wouldn't consider this story pertinent. But given Giuliani's record, in combination with the platform upon which he's running, I believe this story is telling.