The Judy Factor

By: Nicole Belle @ 3:44 PM - PDT

As a presidential contender, it's one thing to have to live down some strange stunt that necessitated getting in drag and being molested by Donald Trump. Or to appeal to the "family-values" crowd despite very public and messy divorces and affairs. Or to play down the fact that your BFF has mob ties that you were either indifferent to or too incompetent to look into.

But it's entirely another thing when your wife become a major liability to you as well. Especially considering how much Republican Party appears to respect women. It can't help when Judy Nathan Giuliani's first (super-secret) husband (SIX marriages between them!) is uncovered, or when whispers about of her being a determined social climber whose very presence has alienated Rudy from his children, or when in an interview with Barbara Walters, Rudy says that he would expect Judy to attend some Cabinet meetings. (shades of Hillary Clinton–quelle horreur!)

But today, the NY Post has come out with yet another story that makes Judy Giuliani look positively…well, Frist-ian.

Judith Giuliani once demonstrated surgical products for a controversial medical-supply company that used dogs - which were later killed - in operations whose only purpose was to sell equipment to doctors, The Post has learned.

"It was a horribly cruel, outrageous program," Friends of Animals President Priscilla Feral said about the demonstrations of medical staplers on dogs conducted by U.S. Surgical Corp. employees during Giuliani's tenure there in the late 1970s.

Feral said U.S. Surgical's demonstrations on hundreds of dogs each year through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s were done to boost sales, not for medical research or testing.

Rudy, firefighters feud

Rudy, firefighters feud

Group, already fuming over Ground Zero curbs, irate as he skips forum

BY DAVID SALTONSTALL DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Rudy Giuliani never fails to cast firefighters as his heroes, but the nation's largest firefighters union all but declared war on him yesterday after he backed out of a forum for presidential hopefuls.

His withdrawal from the International Association of Fire Fighters forum exposed simmering tensions between the former mayor and city fire unions over his decision in November 2001 to limit FDNY personnel at Ground Zero.

Before Giuliani's decision, hundreds of firefighters were allowed to stay at Ground Zero to dig for remains of their 343 missing comrades, an intensely emotional quest.

But citing safety concerns, Giuliani decided on Nov. 2, 2001, to limit the number of FDNY searchers to 25 - touching off brief but furious scuffles between the NYPD and the FDNY and earning Giuliani the lasting animosity of many city fire officers.

Lingering resentment from that moment were laid bare this week in a letter that was drafted but not sent by city union officials, who were trying to exclude Giuliani, a Republican, from the planned presidential forum in Washington next week.

They failed. Giuliani was invited and agreed Monday to attend, only to say no two days later after the letter began to circulate more widely.

"The disrespect that he exhibited to our 343 fallen FDNY brothers, their families and our New York leadership in the wake of that tragic day has not been forgiven or forgotten," reads the draft.

The letter could ultimately prove damaging to Giuliani, for whom 9/11 remains a defining moment. He has even used firehouses as friendly backdrops for campaign events.

IAFF spokesman Jeff Zack said yesterday that, following Giuliani's decision to back out of the forum, the full letter would be e-mailed to all 280,000 members - representing 85% of the nation's firefighters - with some additional explanation of the dustup.

"The events of November 2001, we think, showed the true character of Rudy Giuliani," Zack said, "and we are going to make sure the firefighters of this country know that story."

Aides of the former mayor said prior commitments - specifically fund-raisers in Houston and New York - had forced him to back out of Wednesday's forum.

"We look forward to future events and an ongoing conversation with America's firefighters," said Tim Brown, who heads Firefighters for Rudy, a campaign offshoot.

The IAFF event is expected to be the first forum to include almost every major candidate from both parties, including Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, as well as Republican John McCain.