President Giuliani to Cybernetically Reanimate Terri Schiavo

David Weigel | April 10, 2007

This is what a pander looks like, everybody.

He told reporters he supported government intervention to keep the severely brain-damaged Terri Schiavo alive after courts ordered her feeding tubes removed: "I thought it was appropriate to make every effort to give her a chance to stay alive."

I just did a quick check for Giuliani's contemporary public statements on the Terri Schiavo affair. There aren't any. Ducking the issue then was smart; bigfooting on it now, years after it's agreed that it hurt the GOP, makes zero sense.

UPDATE: Eh, false alarm on the "no public statements" thing. The ThinkProgress bloggers found a pro-feeding tube quote from Rudy in April 2005: "I think the right decision would have been to keep the feeding tube in, under the circumstances of the case." He said that the day after she died, and you could certainly argue that someone who actually cared about the case would have said something beforehand - it's not like Rudy has trouble getting on TV. But his position hasn't changed.

Thanks to ChicagoTom.

Comments

roy edroso|4.10.07 @ 5:38PM|#

Next he'll tell us he personally prevented stem cells from being harvested from Michael Stewart and Eleanor Bumpers.

|4.10.07 @ 5:40PM|#

No, it makes perfect sense. But who the hell cares what Giuliani thinks about Terri Schiavo now??

ellipsis|4.10.07 @ 5:42PM|#

It further solidifies his status as a horse's ass, IMHO. And I thought that was an impossible feat.

|4.10.07 @ 5:44PM|#

Ducking? Was every person in the universe supposed to offer commentary?

biologist|4.10.07 @ 5:44PM|#

it's the primaries, he's pandering to Christian conservatives that probably wonder what he's up to with the transvestite stuff. He'll run back towards the center once he's got the nomination.

|4.10.07 @ 5:48PM|#

I'm no Giuliani fan, but The Center for American Progress reported this:

But a New York Post article from April 1, 2005, in the midst of the controversy, quotes Giuliani expressing the same position:

"I think the right decision would have been to keep the feeding tube in, under the circumstances of the case," former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said.


So, if true, it seems like he didn't really duck the issue completely -- he was on the wrong side from early on. Sorry, no linkee provided to that Post article

TallDave|4.10.07 @ 5:50PM|#

It makes perfect sense, he's in a primary race where everyone agrees his main challenge is to appeal to the Christian right. Pandering is what politicians do. Why do you think Hillary is suddenly advocating surrender in Iraq?

Besides, whatever the merits of the case for Schiavo being in a vegetative state, the guy trying to have her killed was pretty creepy. It should have been her parents' choice.

|4.10.07 @ 5:53PM|#

the guy trying to have her killed was pretty creepy.

Uhmm...you mean her husband and legal guardian?

VM|4.10.07 @ 5:54PM|#

" "I think the right decision would have been to keep the feeding tube in, under the circumstances of the case," former Mayor Rudy Giuliani said."

just shows he's a shill for Big Food Processor.

Next question.

The Wine Commonsewer|4.10.07 @ 5:57PM|#

So nothing except the Shaivo thing is pandering? Or did I just misunderstand?

|4.10.07 @ 5:57PM|#

CT,
Not to short the CFAP's point, but Schaivo died on March 31, 2005. In other words, Giuliani expressed his opinion after all was said and done, hardly what I would call "in the midst of the controversy" considering that Florida's passage of "Terri's Law" in October of '03 is what started the political big top a-dancing.

|4.10.07 @ 6:02PM|#

the guy trying to have her killed was pretty creepy. It should have been her parents' choice.

Uhmm...you mean her husband and legal guardian?

Not to mention the person she left her parents to be with...

|4.10.07 @ 6:08PM|#

Thanks to ChicagoTom.

Just doing what I can to avoid working!! :)

dhex|4.10.07 @ 6:14PM|#

oh god not this thing again. one of the ugliest public "debates" ever, quite possibly. (that may be hyperbole, of course, so let's say "at least in my lifetime")

|4.10.07 @ 6:14PM|#

Where's Eric Dondero to tell me that I should vote for Guiliani either in spite of or because of this?

VM|4.10.07 @ 6:19PM|#

Chicago Tom:

Keepin' the Pride at Ft. Dearborn!

:)

High#: probably "because of".

Did either of you hear the game last night? Thome did it again! woo hoo!

|4.10.07 @ 6:35PM|#

Wow, way wrong. Strike two against Rudy.

|4.10.07 @ 6:38PM|#

Thome? What about my man Podsednik?
I was liking how the pitching staff looked.

|4.10.07 @ 6:56PM|#

I'm just glad that Contreras got past the 2nd inning :)

My problem with Thome is that he is that between his HRs he strikes out and goes 0-for way too much. But I'm still bitter about losing Big Frank (Oakland paid him next to nothing considering his numbers were almost as good as Thome's)

Pods showing some power was pretty awesome. Maybe he can hit one more by the season finale :)

So far this season, I've been most impressed with this kid Aardsma. He is looking like a solid part of the bridge to Jenks and a good choice to stop the bleeding when necessary.

|4.10.07 @ 6:57PM|#

Don't forget about Dubnick, he was killer all night!

|4.10.07 @ 6:57PM|#

Did either of you hear the game last night? Thome did it again! woo hoo!

Kill me.

Signed,
A Phillies fan

|4.10.07 @ 7:02PM|#

Hey! Who spoofed me?

Garth|4.10.07 @ 7:22PM|#

How ironic is it that a very creepy "Rudy 2008" ad appears to the right on this very comments section.... BTW I having looked at the ad I willl forever call him "Ghouliani"

|4.10.07 @ 7:30PM|#

This thing is broken.

|4.10.07 @ 7:33PM|#

What happened to "the Chosen People" thread?

Asharak|4.10.07 @ 7:57PM|#

Not surprising, really.

He never had my vote anyway, though.

Rhywun|4.10.07 @ 8:00PM|#

Meh. If I were a Giuliani supporter I don't think this would alter my opionion. It's small potatoes, guys.

|4.10.07 @ 8:13PM|#

Question:

Who was paying to keep Schiavo on life support?

|4.10.07 @ 8:23PM|#

"Meh. If I were a Giuliani supporter I don't think this would alter my opionion. It's small potatoes, guys."

Direct me to the spot where Weigel makes like it's "big potatoes"? If anybody is overly accustomed to recognizing how routine political pandering is, libertarians certainly are.

VM|4.10.07 @ 9:31PM|#

NotthatDavid -

get in line after Indians fans :)
- what were you doing when Joe Carter hit his dinger?

Chicago - Big Frank had a great run here, but he needed a break, I guess.

Aardsma's success (may it continue and get better!) underscores the idiocracy of the Cubbies staff!

|4.10.07 @ 9:33PM|#

What happened to "the Chosen People" thread?

It was an April Fools hoax. I was just thrown by the fact that the story came out today, instead of April 1.

|4.10.07 @ 9:35PM|#

Meh. If I were a Giuliani supporter I don't think this would alter my opionion.

I can't imagine what on earth would alter the opinion of a Giuliani supporter.

highnumber|4.10.07 @ 9:39PM|#

Mr Weigel:

You've solved one mystery.
Now reveal who spoofed me.

TallDave|4.10.07 @ 10:58PM|#

Uhmm...you mean her husband and legal guardian?

Yes! There was a nurse who was quite emphatic about his creepiness.

TallDave|4.10.07 @ 10:59PM|#

VM - LOL! Thanks, that made my day.

Guy Montag|4.10.07 @ 11:37PM|#

YEA! More Fred traction! Perhaps when he speaks we can call it "Fredmentom", but that was wasted on a Joe.

Oh, David, you missed a great Kos book review review of a NYT 'article'. Seems that the term "Fairbanksing" is gaining ground ;)

|4.11.07 @ 2:04AM|#

Yes! There was a nurse who was quite emphatic about his creepiness.

So, am I to assume that whatever rights you hold under existing law through the contract of marriage are trumped by "creepiness", as defined by a third party?

|4.11.07 @ 5:58AM|#

I've always been mystified by the Terri Schiavo thing. First the odd emphasis on "feeding tube", as if that mattered one bit. Lots of people have feeding tubes - so what? And the euphemism of "removing the tube" for slow death by dehydration. Nobody would kill an animal that way. Makes Dr. Kavorkian seem humane and dignified by comparison. And they put him in prison!

|4.11.07 @ 11:11AM|#

""" It should have been her parents' choice."""

If she was single then I would agree, but once you get married it's your spouses choice. You've left the parental nest.

"""Nobody would kill an animal that way."""

That's true. We would simply shoot the animal. Sorry, that's farm talk. We would respectfully put them to sleep.

|4.11.07 @ 11:24AM|#

"Nobody would kill an animal that way."

Nope. I can't think of a single issue involving (1) animals, (2) feeding tubes, and (3) banning delicious food in Chicago.