Long before Rudy Giuliani became Mayor of New York, he was prepared to lead this complex and difficult city because he had been a prosecutor for many years. In that position he had to take stands on controversial issues, make choices which were not always popular, have good persuasive, analytical and communications skills, and handle the stress of prosecuting difficult crimes.
The fact that Mr. Giuliani was a prosecutor prepared him in many ways that are not always obvious. For example, when a complex criminal case had to be prosecuted, Mr. Giuliani had to be prepared to answer many questions about the case. He had to defend his beliefs in the case. He had to state what he believed was the correct interpretation of the case, and what should be done to those accused of committing the crime. This is not always easy, personally or professionally. This skill is similar to being Mayor of a large, city because such a position requires the ability to interpret situations and make decisions based on one's own opinions.
Therefore, taking charge on a criminal case may involve going against the public for a brief time, while trying to protect the public from that criminal or terrorist who is being prosecuted, this kind of leadership ability is not easy to develop. It requires inner strength that most other jobs do not require. It is rewarding many times in many ways, but also it can be a very difficult way of working as a professional. The defeats in prosecuting criminal cases are very similar to the setbacks any politician endures.
When the terrorists attacked the World Trade Center, Mayor Giuliani was in the painful and difficult position of having to take charge of many parts of the recovery operation. This involved working effectively with many people in the city, state and Federal governments, as well as international leaders and representatives of international organizations. It is understandable that he could not have been on good terms with all of these people before 9-11-01, so when the tragedy occurred, he had to be able to communicate with people he did not like, or who did not like him, or both, as well as people he knew well, liked and by whom he was liked.