On blind allegiance – Dan Barry in NYT:

‘Early in the scrum of the 2016 presidential campaign, the political strategist Rick Wilson bumped into an old boss and strongly advised him not to cast his lot with Donald J. Trump. No good would come of it.
“Even if he wins, he’s going to destroy you,” Mr. Wilson remembered telling Rudolph W. Giuliani. “This guy’s going to humiliate you.” Mr. Wilson recalled being dismissed as a provincial Floridian unable to understand the bond between two New Yorkers — outer-borough strivers who walked the Manhattan streets with proprietary airs and were now within grasp of once-unimaginable power.
“He’s going to take care of me,” Mr. Wilson said Mr. Giuliani would tell those around him. A cabinet post, probably. Maybe secretary of state.

Never happened. Instead, Mr. Giuliani became Mr. Trump’s secretary of aggression and blind allegiance: his attack dog, legal adviser, unindicted co-conspirator — and now, co-defendant in a criminal conspiracy case.
The two friends from New York, along with 17 others, were indicted Monday in Georgia in a broad racketeering case centered on the sobering charge that they illegally plotted to overturn the 2020 presidential election in favor of its loser, Mr. Trump. Adding to the ignominy for Mr. Giuliani, 79, is that he was once an innovative prosecutor who specialized in federal racketeering cases.’

(…)

‘On Monday night, as the grand jury in Fulton County, Ga., prepared to hand up the 41-count indictment, Mr. Giuliani could be seen on his nightly livestream show, “America’s Mayor Live,” watching a broadcast of the goings-on at the Atlanta courthouse, making sardonic comments and trying to appear unfazed.’

(…)

‘Now? “In his sad commitment to be relevant, he has thrown himself in with a crew where facts and the law are either irrelevant or there to be twisted,” Mr. Richman said. “It’s the thirst for relevance. The thirst to be in the mix.”’

(…)

‘All the while, Mr. Giuliani’s pattern of curious legal interpretations, provocative statements and odd behavior kept him in an often unflattering spotlight.

One example: He was duped into appearing in the Sacha Baron Cohen satire “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” in which the president’s personal lawyer is seen putting his hands down his pants while reclining on the bed of a young actress posing as a reporter. He later said he was tucking in his shirt after removing a microphone.’

(…)

‘Some recent career choices smack of desperation. Last year, Mr. Giuliani participated as a costumed contestant on “The Masked Singer” reality program. Dressed as a jack-in-the-box, he sang an off-key version of “Bad to the Bone.” And through the personalized video app called Cameo, he has been recording a customized videofor weddings, birthdays and other events for $325.’

(…)

‘In the middle of the vitriol and resignation, though, Mr. Giuliani paused to promote the dietary supplements of a company that recently agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle a consumer-protection lawsuit in California over false-advertising claims.
He opened two bottles of the stuff, called Balance of Nature, and shook out a few tablets.
“I’m going to need some strength,” America’s Mayor said as he washed the pills down with water. “We have to make a trip down to Atlanta, Georgia.”’

Read the article here.

Guiliani is outdoing Sacha Baron Cohen, his reality is wilder and more subtle at the same time.

We can blame the quest for relevance, but that’s a bit a euphemism; it’s must be extreme and blind ambition.
If Richard Wagner had been an contemporary American he might have written an opera called ‘Rudi’s Rheingold’.

There is hope in despair. Whether there is hope for the US and the world is a different discussion. Probably not, but we can do without hope.