Former mayor Rudy Giuliani may have participated in a Republican debate last night, but all anyone wants to talk about is how his possibly estranged daughter and incoming Harvard freshman Caroline joined a Barack Obama group on Facebook, as reported by Slate. Slate explained that "she withdrew from the Obama group at 6 a.m. Monday, after Slate sent her an inquiry about it." The article's author, Lucy Morrow Caldwell, was able to see Caroline Giuliani's profile because she is a Harvard student.
However, a spokewoman for Caroline Giuliani, who goes by "Caroline Hanover," explains her client's involvement in the group: "Before the presidential campaign got underway, Caroline added herself to a list on Facebook as an expression of interest in certain principles. It was not intended as an indication of support in a presidential campaign and she has removed it. Caroline is not commenting on the 2008 election."
Since his re-marriage to Judi Nathan, Rudy Giuliani and his children had not been very close. The Republican presidential wanna-be was a quiet presence at his daughter's graduation: He sat in the back, while her brother Andrew, mother Donna Hanover, and stepfather sat in the front. And Rudy found out Caroline was accepted into Harvard by reading it in the Daily News.
More Rudy fun: This morning, he was at a Wal-Mart in Iowa, buying granola bars, talking A-Rod, and possibly parking in the fire lane.
Update: Rubenstein Communications sent out this alert with the comments of Dr. Alan Hilfer, "pediatric psychologist and Director of Psychology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York" (who is available for comment):
“In the world that an incoming college Freshman lives in, a declaration on facebook is a very public action,” says Dr. Hilfer. “ In public families, particularly those in the political world it is understood that their differences will be kept private. Caroline Giuliani obviously has very significant issues of anger directed towards her father.”
“For any parent a public embarrassment is humbling. For a candidate seeking to develop their credentials in the area of family values this could be devastating, since Mr. Giuliani’s son, Andrew has previously said that he and his sister have issues with the way their father treated their mother in the final months of their marriage and in the subsequent divorce.”
Nice to have the professionals confirm exactly what we were thinking. Now, to track down Andrew Giuliani's Facebook page!
