No, not the gay-marriage issue. The multiple-marriage issue. How big a role will it play in the Republican primaries? In the general election?
The issue was brought to the fore this morning by comments made by the head of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, Richard Land, in an interview with the Associated Press. Mr. Land told the Associated Press that Evangelicals believe the former New York City mayor showed a lack of character during his divorce from his second wife, television personality Donna Hanover.
"I mean, this is divorce on steroids," Mr. Land said. "To publicly humiliate your wife in that way, and your children. That's rough. I think that's going to be an awfully hard sell, even if he weren't pro-choice and pro-gun control."
Mr. Giuliani married Judith Nathan in 2003. They had dated publicly while Mr. Giuliani was married to Ms. Hanover. (His first marriage ended in an annulment.)
It would be pretty hard to dispute that Mr. Giuliani's actions in his divorce showed "a lack of character." They did. The mayor conducted himself atrociously. The question is how much voters will care.
In the GOP primary, Mr. Giuliani faces one opponent who is divorced (Senator McCain) and one who's been happily married for 37 years (Mitt Romney).
Mr. McCain cheated on and divorced his first wife when he returned from Vietnam and launched his political career with his new wife's family's money. But Mr. Land tells the AP that this is no big deal. "It's a molehill compared to Giuliani's mountain," Mr. Land said. "When you're a war hero [like McCain], you have less to prove on the character front."
Mr. Romney, then, stands out. His wife, Ann Romney, has made the quip that her husband, the Mormon, is the only candidate in the field who's only had one wife. And Mr. Romney looks ready to exploit that to its fullest.