"Four score and seven...oh, hold on, I've gotta telegram from Mary"

That alternative image of the Gettysburg Address suggests itself after former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani took a phone call from his wife, Judith...while he was speaking before a group of National Rifle Association activists!

Yesterday, Chris Matthews ran a video clip of another time this same thing happened.

If this is a deliberate "cornball stunt," as Ann Althouse calls it, it's a really dumb one.

At this point, the less that Giuliani reminds the public of Judith, let alone of any aspect of his domestic life, the better off he'll be. Rudy needs keep telling himself, "I'm Grover Cleveland! I'm Grover Cleveland!" Appearing to be a bachelor, as Cleveland was when first elected president in 1884, would be a good strategic move for Giuliani.

That's because there's a widespread belief that, like Newt Gingrich, the former mayor has been a bit cavalier when it comes to his personal life, callous, manipulative, and that, to use a line from an old James Taylor song, his "goodbyes have been somewhat unrefined." While Americans want their leaders to be tough, they don't want them to be heartless.

Giuliani's only hope of being the GOP nominee or of winning the general election next year is to polish his image as both a hard-driving leader and a 9/11 hero. It's these two images of Rudy that cause even conservative Republicans to give him the benefit of their doubts.

Dissing audiences by accepting phone calls during speeches is unacceptable to voters of any persuasion. It makes the candidate look flaky.

And flagging his wife, who is such a controversial figure among some, by taking her call from the rostrum during a speech, doesn't advance Giuliani's cause in the least.

Giuliani deserves credit for deciding to speak to the NRA gathering. It was a courageous thing to do.

But the Mayor had better resolve to turn off his phone for future events before he turns off all sorts of folks.

UPDATE: Remember when Giuliani was inaugurated as mayor of New York? Here is a clip. And here's Chris Farley's Saturday Night Live send-up: