When Ed Koch backed George Bush

The urge toward hagiography when someone dies is understandable. Because the dead cannot speak for themselves, and because the end of a life is a tragedy, we often hesitate to criticize them for fear of being seen as stomping on their grave - if not forever, than at least immediately following their passing.

But, then, when it comes to public figures, the immediate aftermath of a death is precisely the time when history is cemented -- and too often selectively revised. Case in point is the former Democratic congressman and New York City mayor Ed Koch.