Rudy At 65: The Anti-lunatic
Last weekend, Rudy Giuliani and his wife Judith were out enjoying Memorial Day weekend in the Hamptons. All of a sudden, this loudmouth idiot approached the strolling couple and began yelling in Rudy's face. He then threatened to "punch out" Rudy, and Rudy did what he always does. He stood his ground.
Leadership isn't only about grand, sweeping new directions. It's about knowing when it's time to push back, when it's critical not to cave in to threats or fear or unpopularity. There's a chapter in the book I wrote with Rudy, Leadership, that's called “Stand Up to Bullies.” It's not about saber rattling or prideful demonstrations of toughness. But Rudy grew up a Yankee fan in Dodger-crazed Brooklyn. He understands the nature of a bully. If you don't stand up to his first taunt or unreasonable demand, it'll be worse the next time and the next time and the next time.
On Monday, North Korea tested three short-range missiles. President Obama, a born coalition builder, joined the rest of the non-insane world in condemning the test. The US said North Korea would "pay a price." On Tuesday, North Korea fired a surface-to-air and a surface-to-ship missile off its east coast. The nuclear test had created a blast as powerful as the one that incinerated Hiroshima. President Obama talked about how "inspiring" Judge Sotomayor's story is.
Bullies, whether loudmouth ex-hippies in the Hamptons or life-long dictators who starve their citizens, respond only to strength. If they were reasonable people who could be encouraged to behave civilly by rewarding them with attention or a seat at the UN's table or even a hearing of their grievances, then they wouldn't be bullies. A bully doesn't want you to feel sorry for him. A bully wants you to fear him.
During the thick of the presidential primary season, then-Senator Biden poked fun at Rudy's alleged propensity to discuss terrorism and the events of September 11 too frequently. As we've watched a stream of gaffes fly from Biden's enormous pie hole – revealing the location of a secret safe room, telling Americans not to board planes or trains – the absurdity of his attack on Rudy becomes even clearer. First of all, it wasn't true. But even if it were, the idea that someone who personally witnessed the murder of thousands of Americans in the biggest battle in the central struggle for the world going forward was overly focused on it is laughable. Can anyone name one thing with which Biden is associated besides plagiarism and foolishness?
Months before Biden's inane remark, Rudy's campaign manager, Mike DuHaime, made a good observation. Rudy's achievements in tax cutting, crime reduction, and economic revival were beyond reproach but we knew he'd be attacked nonetheless as a one-trick pony. DuHaime said, "It's not true. But if you were going to have one trick, restoring the spirit of a city and a nation in the wake of the worst attack it's ever witnessed is a pretty good one."
It's Rudy's 65th birthday today. He would have been forgiven for turning his back on a ranting maniac. That's what most people would do and maybe even what most people should do. But that's not what leaders do. Bullies in places tougher than Bridgehampton places like Tehran and Pyongyang are looking for signs that they can take America's lunch money. The best way to avoid a fight is to make it clear we're willing to fight.