The winners and losers in the Kerik debacle.
Winners:
Ray Kelly. Having dissed Kerik, in both word and deed since succeeding him in 2002, he is unquestionably the happiest man in America.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg. During the 2001 mayoral campaign, he promised voters Kelly would try to persuade Kerik to remain as commissioner. He's breathing a sigh of relief that Kelly never did.
Judith Regan. Like the canary in the coal mine, she has been singing about Kerik since 2002.
Losers:
The NYPD's top brass. Kelly's vindication means even more micromanaging.
The two-star Manhattan chief who in 2001 sent homicide detectives to question civilians in their homes after midnight after Regan claimed her cell phone was stolen. That third star may now be hard to come by.
The loopy New York Post editorialist who after Kerik withdrew wrote these lines: 'Bernie Kerik's decision to step down as Homeland Security-designate ... speaks to the qualities which commended him to President Bush in the first place: Kerik is a stand-up guy. ... '
Rudy Giuliani. The biggest loser of all. It's not merely his lack of judgment in promoting Kerik first as police commissioner, then to the White House. It's his and Kerik's image as heroes of 9/11. Mention that date, and critical thinking ceased. No longer.
