In so far as I can tell there are very few people who care about illegal immigration.

The 'nannygate' nonsense ranks right up there with the "I resign to spend more time with my family" trope.

It is far more likely that this combined with threats from Dem senators is the actual reason for the withdrawal.

Kerik decided it was easier to make tons of money in the private sector than to come to Washington and deal with the annelids of the DC Press Corps and the scum in the party opposite. Good for him!

Unless said nanny is a direct reletive of Osama, I tend to think that having the best man possible in charge of our security trumps this rather piddling concern.

It's the Al Capone Effect— you get someone on a trivial charge that'll stick when you can't prove the real crimes.

Part of the problem is that the GOP, even after a decade, still hasn't figured out how to be the majority party. They're still think they're in High School, craving popularity, afraid of what all the cool kids (the Dems and their media lackies) will say about them.

Raoul,

That's a home run! Congrats!

The servant problem raises its ugly head again. Tee hee.

I hope the're still laughing after a terror strike, and we were deprived of someone of
Kerik's stature to deal with it,

What's it with these people who "hire" nannies. I thought that you "befriend" said person, they "happen" to hang around with your kids out of friendship, and then, since you like them so much you give them cash gifts. And, since you're allowed to give cash gifts to anyone in the world, it doesn't matter if they're aliens.

narciso,

No one is indispensible. And Kerik wasn't 1/10 the commissioner that Bratton or Safir were.

Bret,

There is this absurd presumption that anyone appointed to a position or having the temerity to run for office should have the capacity, including ESP if necessary, to determine whether the person you hire from an agency or through references is a legal resident. Think of it as reason #3,465 why no sensible, non-deranged person wants to be in either elective or appointive office.

Harry,

You are incorrigible.

Kerik is about the unlikliest 'gentry' I can imagine.

But I am still interested in how he got $5.7 in Taser stock. He couldn't have been a company officer THAT long.

narciso: "I hope the're still laughing after a terror strike, and we were deprived of someone of
Kerik's stature to deal with it"

Uh, why is it so clear that Kerik is the best possible man to deal with the next terror strike? Because he's done such a great job training the Iraqi police to be the wonderfully effective force they are?

It's amazing how widespread this "the librul media is attacking him, so he must be good" mentality is on the Right. Just as the tendency to rally behind anyone attacked by conservatives is on the Left. In both cases, it's indefensible.

David T,

By sheer application of the Law of Large Numbers, he had to be better than Tom 'Rainbow' Ridge. I've indicated earlier that I was impressed with Kerik and I think he was the wrong person for the job. Giuliani's other former police commissioners, Bratton or Safir, would be far superior, especially Bratton.

Kerik's problems are only scratched by the nanny problem. They run a lot deeper.

Like I said Above.

"Former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik conducted two extramarital affairs simultaneously, using a secret Battery Park City apartment for the passionate liaisons, the Daily News has learned. The first relationship, spanning nearly a decade, was with city Correction Officer Jeanette Pinero; the second, and more startling, was with famed publishing titan Judith Regan. His affair with Regan, the stunningly attractive head of her own book publishing company, lasted for almost a year. . .

"The revelations about Kerik's private life come as repercussions over his suitability to be nominated for the post of secretary of homeland security. Kerik, 49, married with two children from his current marriage, withdrew his name from consideration in a sudden and unexpected call to the White House on Friday night. Kerik said that questions about the immigration status of his family's former nanny and failure to pay taxes prompted his decision to walk away from the job. But speculation has continued that there were deeper and more controversial reasons. Yesterday, The News reported that a six-month investigation showed Kerik had accepted thousands of dollars in cash and gifts without proper disclosure, and had ties to a construction company that investigators believe is linked to the mob. . .

"The tumultuous Regan-Kerik romance carried on for months, through the writing, publication and promotion of his autobiography, "The Lost Son: A Life in Pursuit of Justice," which Regan's company published. . .

"After one encounter, Regan left a romantic note, which was later discovered by Pinero. The two later spoke on the phone.

"She wanted to know if Judith was still seeing him," the source said. "She told Regan about their affair and Regan told her she was shocked."

"Many close to Kerik in the mid-1990s assumed that someday he would marry Pinero, a career correction officer described as spirited and attractive by friends, a close friend and a former high-ranking Correction Department source said. The relationship continued after Kerik married Hala Matli, a hygienist in his dentist's office whom he met in mid-1996 and wed in November 1998, according to multiple sources close to Pinero and Kerik.

"Kerik's affair with Pinero is at the center of two lawsuits against the city, both brought by correction employees who claimed Kerik retaliated after they crossed her. The city settled one last year for $250,000, The News reported at the time. The second suit, in which Pinero and Kerik were deposed last week, was filed by former Deputy Warden Eric DeRavin 3rd, who claims Kerik quashed his promotion after he reprimanded Pinero. . .

jim, you got something against upward mobility?

Harry:

No. But it's like the story of LBJ - into office a virtual pauper, and then suddenly a multi-millionaire. Even if the source is just good old-fashioned payola, for a Cabinet Secretary, it is compromising.

Just yesterday, the SEC declined to charge Gary Winnick, the former CEO of Global Crossing. The Democratic members wanted to pursue the case - but Donaldson overruled them. Why? Any connection with Terry McAuliffe, who made $100 million in selling his GC stock (before the crash)?

Just curious, is all.