Mr Hevesi hedged his enthusiasm for Rudy Giuliani but it was there and obvious all the same. I say that is wrong. The three other men all expected to compete against Mr Hevesi for the Democratic nomination all rushed to criticise his comments. Yet , while the speech said a lot about Mr Hevesi, it said a lot more about Mr Giuliani and the dilemma facing the Democratic contenders for his throne. Polls consistently show that, while New Yorkers may abhor some of the tough measures taken against the poor or the sick by the mayor, they love the fact that the city has boomed under his tenure.
Crime is down, house prices are up, jobs and tourism are booming.
Significantly, his speech in a Manhattan hotel failed to elicit a response from a largely silent band of supporters. Democrat party members, who will elect their candidate in September, two months before the actual election, are far less supportive of Giuliani's means or his ends than the population at large. The four Democratic candidates, all seasoned but fairly lacklustre politicians, must steer a course between this hatred and the public's support for what Giuliani has achieved. Although he isn't on the ballot, he might as well be. In many ways, this is the Democratic party's election to lose.