Why? Really, why?

Excellent question from Paul Krugman today:

Why isn’t Mr. Giuliani’s behavior here considered not just a case of bad policy analysis but a character issue?

Yes. Why? As he says,

Memo to editors: If a candidate says something completely false, it’s not “in dispute.” It’s not the case that “Democrats say” they’re not advocating British-style socialized medicine; they aren’t.

The fact is that the prostate affair is part of a pattern: Mr. Giuliani has a habit of saying things, on issues that range from health care to national security, that are demonstrably untrue. And the American people have a right to know that.