Opinion: Politicians Have Long Memories

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Back in the 1990s, Rudy Giuliani (then mayor of New York) and Alfonse D’Amato (then a U.S. senator from the Empire State) shared a bond: as Republicans, each had bucked the political odds to win elections and represent heavily Democratic constituencies. But they didn’t much care for each other then, and that apparently hasn’t changed.

D’Amato, appearing Tuesday night on a New York cable news show, declared his allegiance to the as-yet-unofficial presidential candidacy of Tennessean Fred Thompson. As a blogger wrote while watching the show, that was hardly a shock --- D’Amato (who got bumped from office in 1998) never has forgiven Giuliani for straying from the GOP in the state’s 1994 gubernatorial race.

In that contest, Guiliani backed a Democrat, then-Gov. Mario Cuomo. It seemed like the smart move at the time. Just the year before, Giuliani had become the first Republican elected New York’s mayor in 28 years, in part by de-emphasizing his party affiliation. Embracing Cuomo’s expected re-election would drive that point home and, Giuliani figured, could aid his efforts to curry favor for his city at the state level. As it turned out, of course, the ’94 Republican wave swept Cuomo out of office --- he lost to D’Amato’s ally, then state-Sen. George Pataki.

Odds are that Pataki, who after three terms in the governor’s office declined to seek reelection last year, won’t be far behind in lining up behind Thompson. Pataki eyed a presidential bid himself, but the drumbeat of support he hoped to hear for such a step never sounded.

D’Amato’s endorsement of Thompson comes in the wake of a Weekly Standard report that advisors signing up for the expected campaign include Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter, Elizabeth (the straight one).

Last week, Mike Allen of The Politico reported that George P. Bush, nephew of the current president, grandson of the former president and son of ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, is actively soliciting contributions for the ‘Law & Order’ star.

The telegenic and articulate George P., 31, is a lawyer currently working for a real estate investment company in Dallas. Talk of a potential political career has long surrounded him. But like his dad, who finished up two gubernatorial terms last year with strong approval ratings in a key state, ‘Bush fatigue’ probably forestalls such a move, at least for now.

-- Don Frederick