The Story of Wife No. 3

"And her ire is apparently not confined to staff. 'Listen. She can be very, very abrasive. At him!' says a close friend. There have been blowups, say those who have witnessed them, and obtuse demands. Some years ago on a plane to Japan, Judith became so angry at her husband, says a close Giuliani friend, that Rudy, who 'couldn't take it anymore,' moved to the back of the aircraft, switching places with an advance man."

Well, that would sure keep the media entertained for four years.

National Review's Myrna Blyth questions the CW that candidates' wives won't affect the voting:

"Can that really be true in campaign 2008 when one of the spouses is the ex-president? Surely there will be a time when someone will be looking at what Bill Clinton has been doing lately and will slash away in a manner not dissimilar to Judy Bachrach's take on Mrs. Giuliani . . .

"Even though the piece about Judith Giuliani is sprinkled with a few positives -- she's concerned about his relationship with his kids, she was helpful to the relatives of 9/11 victims -- its overwhelming impression is a mean-spirited caricature. But it not so different than dozens of pieces we've read in the past (and snickered about) and will continue to read during this campaign. Everyone bewails the politics of personal destruction and wants that to change, but can that happen if the journalism of personal destruction is really setting the agenda?"

Salon Editor Joan Walsh sees major damage:

"I've long believed that Rudy Giuliani's personal life will doom his presidential bid. I'm not saying it should: Some of the things that will likely give him problems with Republican primary voters are among the only things I like about him: He's not afraid to dress in drag, and he shared an apartment with a gay couple in between his last two marriages, an openness reflected politically in his comparatively tolerant approach on social issues (by contrast with the rest of the GOP field, anyway).

"Then there are his three marriages. Personally, I don't think failing at marriage should disqualify someone for the presidency, not even failing twice. But there have long been whispers that Giuliani's third marriage, not his two divorces, could be his biggest personal problem . . .

"Judy Bachrach has written a devastating portrait of a striving, semi-self-made woman from small-town Pennsylvania who climbed up by her bootstraps (and those of her three husbands) to travel by Gulfstream, wear Dolce & Gabbana, and use her entourage to shove Hillary Clinton aside at the first 9/11 anniversary ceremony . . .

"Of course, there's no proof his marriage is in mortal trouble, although the willingness of current friends and staffers to trash her to Bachrach was remarkable, and might mean they smell blood."

Most people may have forgotten that Roger Ailes was Giuliani's media adviser in his first run for mayor in 1989; I have not, because I covered that race. The New York Times is raising questions about the relationship:

"Mr. Giuliani, as mayor, officiated at Mr. Ailes's wedding and intervened on his behalf when Mr. Ailes's company, Fox News Channel, was blocked from securing a cable station in the city.