In the wake of Bernie Kerik's indictment, I'd been wondering whether Rudy Giuliani's GOP rivals would emphasize the fact that Rudy, who says he's the candidate best equipped to defend us from the terrorists, had not just picked Kerik as top cop but also recommended him for the post of Homeland Security chief.

Well, on a campaign stop John McCain has now done just that, and brought up yet another episode from Kerik's past that many have forgotten, chiefly that he abruptly pulled out of Baghdad back when he was training the Iraqi police. McCain:

"That's why I never would've supported him to be the head of homeland security because of his irresponsible act when he was over in Baghdad to try and help train the police. One of the reasons why we had so much trouble with the initial training of the police was because he came, didn't do anything and then went out to the airport and left."

McCain added of Rudy's alleged national security credentials that he suffered from "a fundamental lack of experience."

Rudy was criticized even more harshly by McCain supporter Tom Ridge, the former Homeland Security chief, who implicitly pointed out how ludicrous Rudy's effort to install Kerik as DHS chief really was: "We're not talking about some urban city patronage job. That's not what a Cabinet secretary's about."

Ouch.