Grand Old Police Blotter: No Honor Among Theives Edition

Some GOPer has stolen a play from George Will's play-stealing playbook and stolen Rudy Guiliani's playbook. And Rudy's calling it a crime:

A Giuliani spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel, said yesterday that the document belonged to a staff member and did not reflect official strategy, but "simply someone's ideas which were committed to paper over three months ago." Ms. Mindel said the document was apparently stolen from a piece of luggage during a Giuliani political trip last fall, then photocopied and replaced in the luggage. Ms. Mindel said she did not know if her office would seek a criminal investigation of the alleged theft.

The public disclosure of the document is potentially damaging for Mr. Giuliani, not least because since 9/11, he has built a business as a private consultant on security issues while creating an image as a political leader capable of combating terrorism. Indeed, an adviser to one of his possible rivals in 2008, Senator John McCain of Arizona, half-joked yesterday that it was interesting that Mr. Giuliani's businesses included security consulting.

This theft should be prosecuted and the thief sentenced to prison, whether the crime was committed by a representative of John McCain, a staffer of Willard Romney or Duncan Hunter himself.