If Richard Cohen had bothered to use Rudy Giuliani’s actual quotes from the debate, as opposed to making up ones that make the former mayor sound like a drooling imbecile, I would object to his column less. But as it is, Cohen pretends to be able to read Giuliani’s mind, and then in addition, makes up the answers (and because the questioner is “Chris”, we can presume this is supposed to be the most recent debate).

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you a triumph of lazy opinion journalism! Were I to do the same, I could write Cohen thinking, “I won’t bother to talk to, or even accurately quote the candidate I’m deriding; I’ll just make up the public comments that I wish he gave.”