Purging Prosecutors

"He does not ignore the Republican base. He just asks it to grow up."

HuffPost's Michael Seitzman says Rudy should show real courage . . . with the press:

"It's often been said that Rudy Giuliani was one of the heroes of 9/11. Fine. I, too, joined the rest of the country in raising Giuliani on our collective shoulders in the days after 9/11. However, I've grown increasingly uncomfortable with the 'Rudy-the-Hero' industry ever since. And here's why: When Mayor Giuliani remained in downtown Manhattan after the first tower fell, when he ran toward the fire, instead of away from it, when he ran toward the victims, when he embraced the city in the hours, days, and weeks following that tragic day, did he go beyond the call of duty? Or is that kind of leadership actually, simply, the call of duty?

"We seem to be so accustomed to our politicians running away from danger, so used to our elected officials following polls instead their hearts and minds, that we fall all over ourselves the minute one of them does what we hope and vote for, the minute one of our leaders actually leads. On 9/11, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani did a stunning job as a leader on a day that we were screaming for one. But, we're still screaming for one.

"Being a leader means having that kind of courage when facing a room full of reporters, too. Instead of joking and saying, 'I disagree with myself some days,' in order to avoid the searing truth that your beliefs may keep you from winning your party's primary, I want to hear, 'This is what I believe. This is why I believe it. And if you don't want to vote for me because of it, then don't. But if you want a leader who tells you what he thinks, who doesn't run from controversy, who doesn't run from his own opinions and convictions, a leader who actually leads, then I'm your guy.' "

Finally, Mike Freeman, a former NYT sportswriter who now works for Sportsline.com, unloads (via Romenesko) on his former profession:

"Too many newspapers have become lazy; too many newspaper reporters have become lazy. No one in the industry wants to discuss this. This is not everyone in newspapers of course but almost everyone I know writing for the Internet works far longer hours and writes more than most newspaper guys I know. It is not even close. I think readers know this and appreciate the difference.

"When I was covering football in New York, there were a handful of guys who worked their [butts] off (and still do now) . . . But they were few are far between. Most guys relied heavily on the PR people and pack reporting; spent more time playing golf and in some cases chasing strippers and hookers than they did working at their jobs. Then if you didn't join in, you were ostracized, and attacked."

Chasing strippers?