The New York Times has published a story scolding Rudy Guiliani for arranging only friendly campaign stops, pointedly carping how he is "Seeing Only Softballs".

Stepping to the Plate, Giuliani Is Seeing Only Softballs

SPARTANBURG, S.C., Feb. 21 -- In a swing through South Carolina this week, Rudolph W. Giuliani chose to campaign at a fire house, which is a little like Derek Jeter meeting with Yankees fans -- a most unlikely forum for hostility, or even much skepticism.

It is curious to me why anyone would expect a candidate to open themselves up to any venues that would present "hostility" this many months away from the elections?

Why, exactly, would any candidate plan to give the MSM footage of the candidate getting peppered and attacked this far out from the elections?

Instead of the sometimes barbed give-and-take endured by the other candidates, Mr. Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, fielded a few questions from the firefighters and police officers who gathered to hear him...

In a day when it is all the rage to say that the campaigns are starting too early, the NYT seems to be saying the opposite if they would expect Rudy to open himself to debate styled campaign stops 11 months before the first primary and 20 months before the election itself.

Further, not all the "other candidates" have really put themselves in the sort of situations that the NYT seems to value this far out. In fact, none of them have really stepped too far from their comfort zones as of yet except by accident. In the case of Romney, who has gotten hit with his flip flopping on abortion and the Mormon question, or Clinton, who has had her anti-war detractors assault her, for instance, neither found the situation welcomed OR planned.

Mr. Giuliani recently spoke to state Republican conventions in New Hampshire and California, but he did not take questions, so there was little opportunity to address his views on social issues that set him apart from many in his party.

Rest assured, New York Times, there is PLENTY of time to see the candidates in debates to see how they handle an unorchestrated situation. And if Rudy's campaign never gets around to such a situation it will surely adversely affect his chances.

Lastly, the biggest question this New York Times piece brings up is this: How many times has the NYT bemoaned the dozens and dozens of interviews, staged appearances, and canned "happenings" staged by one Hillary Clinton? How many articles has the NYT written complaining about the softballs lobbed at Hillary Clinton by the MSM whether it be TV, radio or print?

Bet the NYT hasn't written too many of those!

(With the recent spate of fake internet postings written by those who are hiding their relationships with candidates lately, here I want to say that I am not at this time supporting Rudy nor am I part of any campaign efforts on his part. In fact, I am not personally under the employ of any campaign nor endorsing any candidate.)