Giuliani's Record

Matthew Yglesias wonders what Rudy's record as crime-fighter from Gotham has to do with being president:

More seriously, contemplating the main thing that one might give Giuliani credit for -- New York City's larger-than-average crime drop in the 1990s -- just makes you realize that no matter how much credit you think he deserves for it, it has nothing to do with running for president. The president can't reform local departments' policing procedures.

I agree with Yglesias's conclusion: Giuliani is not qualified to be president. But this is not the best way to go about proving it. On one level, Yglesias is right: being a good local crime-fighter has nothing to do with being president. What does have something to do with being president, however, is properly managing an executive office, and using the tools at your disposal to improve the lives of those you represent. So, it's not important that Guiliani fought crime well, specifically; it's important that Giuliani did anything well.

This only goes so far, of course. There are all sorts of other prerequisites for being worthy of consideration for president. These include some sort of foreign policy capabilities, respect for the rule of law, an active mind, a clear domestic agenda (which runs deeper than attempting to co-opt Reagan's legacy), and high level of personal integrity (this last one is negotiable). Rudy possesses none of those things, which is why he shouldn't be president. This should be the line of attack.