Giuliani explains the criteria for spending taxpayer dollars on his mistress. Hypothetically.

From this morning’s Meet the Press:

Tim Russert: Would it be appropriate for a president to provide Secret Service protection for his mistress?

Rudy Giuliani: It would not be appropriate to do it for that reason, Tim … The reason it’s done is because somebody threatens to do harm and the people who assess it come to the conclusion that it is necessary to do this. The reality is that it all came about because of my public position, because of the fact that when people are public or celebrities these kinds of threats take place.

Well, that clears things up considerably.

There are many things I could say here, but I’m only going to ask one small question. And it’s a question that goes out to a particular segment of American society. You know who you are.

Can you imagine if this exchange had involved not Rudy Giuliani, but Bill Clinton?

I’m so proud of myself for making it this far without resorting to terms like “Republican ho budget.” I’ve eschewed that kind of cheap shot because I know that there aren’t any hypocrites out there, especially among the legions supporting Giuliani’s bid for the White House, and as such I’m waiting for all those who once railed at Bubba for being the Pimp-in-Chief to turn their guns on Rudy. Boy, this is going to be great.

[sigh]

Watch the video and read Sam Stein’s take here.