A fine country.

Somehow, it says something that the American public has a tendency to vote for public officials whose private lives are interesting enough to be discussed on the front page of The New York Times. Maybe it only implies that our politicians are immensely dedicated to their work, spending too much time away from their families. It might also imply that respected public figures are only human. Yes, presidents do have private lives, and so do mayors. Of course, President Clinton's life might not be considered that private after all, since he can read about it in the selection of news clippings greeting him every morning on his desk. But nowadays, so can New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.

According to Donna Hanover, Giuliani's wife of 16 years, the Mayor had an intimate relationship with Cristyne F. Lategano, his former communications director, before her departure from City Hall last May. Lategano only commented that she had "no desire to speculate why Donna Hanover decided to issue the statement that she did." She did not directly deny the allegations; neither did Giuliani. He did, however, mention at an emotional press conference last Wednesday night that another woman, Judith Nathan, was "a very, very fine person--I rely on her and she helps me a great deal." He did not fail to acknowledge his wife as being a "very, very fine, wonderful person," but he also mentioned that they grew apart during the last few years.

The only reason that this hasn't become a national news story is the somber announcement two weeks ago that Giuliani has an early form of prostate cancer. No matter how harmless and how treatable it might be, nobody should be allowed to make fun of somebody with cancer--not even an op-ed writer. What is permissible, however, is to question Giuliani's ability to compete in a historic senate race between two political heavyweights. The First Lady versus the Mayor of New York was bound to be a national news story, but with the recent turn of events, the showdown may never occur.

Giuliani himself said that he "[doesn't] really care about politics right now." In any case, it will be hard for Giuliani to argue in a few weeks that he will again be able to fully focus on his two full-time positions of running New York and running for the Senate. And he will also have a clear disadvantage against Hillary Clinton. She was the one who kept the first family together and stood by her husband's side. In Giuliani's case it appears that he is the one causing the troubles at home.

But then again, he might just come out ahead in this struggle. President Clinton also managed to raise his approval ratings amidst all the allegations around his private life. Anyway, falling in love, getting divorced and remarrying while holding a public office is not all that uncommon. Thomas Klestil, Austria's current President, did exactly that, and he's in his second term now--after being reelected right between his divorce and his second marriage.

A fine world.

--Gernot Wagner