Don't Believe the Truth

David Weigel | July 13, 2007

Were you wondering how Rudy Giuliani would answer the charges of his delinquency managing the city's fire department before 9/11? How he'd fend off allegations researched by Wayne Barrett and part of a national campaign by the International Association of Firefighters?

A campaign aide told The Hill yesterday they are not concerned these attacks will fester, adding that the images most people have seen and remember are those of Giuliani in the streets of Manhattan in a leadership role immediately after the terrorist attacks.

“No one can take away the power of those images,” the aide said.

In other words we will use and re-use 9/11 some groteque Cronenbergian mash-up of a forcefield and a crying baby—impenetrable to force, impervious to criticism, guaranteed only to backfire and render sterile those who come up against it.

Sort of related, Glenn Reynolds on the Rudy stuff and Fred Thompson:

Between this and the silly stuff about Fred Thompson, Democrats are looking more nervous about 2008 than you'd expect.

Unless you transpose "Democrats" and "journalists"—something I've never, ever heard a pundit do before—that isn't true. Hillary's scandals are old and boring, Barack Obama's only produced one small beer financial scandal, John Edwards is a walking punchline whose scandals are also old and boring. But Rudy's coming to the end of a six-year honeymoon and Thompson has never been worked over by the national political press. Since Thompson has, so far, come off sort of dopey and defensive, we can expect the beatings to continue.

Comments

|7.13.07 @ 12:35PM|#

What about Ron Paul? We haven't had a Ron Paul post in like DAYS. What's the latest from Paul '08 HQ? Freedom lovers everywhere are anxiously awaiting more good news.

GO RON

|7.13.07 @ 12:36PM|#

I like what Jon Stewart said about this. Rudy was quoted as saying something along the lines of "If this is a one-issue race I'm going to make it about being on the offense in the war on terror." And Stewart added "and if it's a two-issue race I'm going to lose."

Love the DS.

tros|7.13.07 @ 12:38PM|#

Sounds like the flies are starting to buzz.

|7.13.07 @ 12:39PM|#

All you need to see is the pic of Giuliani dressed up for an undercover drug bust to understand what a fraud he is.

|7.13.07 @ 12:39PM|#

Making Giuliani President because of 9/11 is like making some guy who was passed out on his couch when a car crashed into his living room head of the NHTSA. Only dumber.

|7.13.07 @ 12:47PM|#

What exactly are the IAF's charges?

D.A. Ridgely|7.13.07 @ 12:49PM|#

In other words we will use and re-use 9/11 some groteque Cronenbergian mash-up of a forcefield and a crying baby-impenetrable to force, impervious to criticism, guaranteed only to backfire and render sterile those who come up against it.

And this is, um, news?

Robert|7.13.07 @ 12:58PM|#

It works like "Born in the USA".

|7.13.07 @ 1:12PM|#

I lived in New York in 2001, and I can tell you first hand that Rudy Giuliani showed real leadership in the days and weeks following 9/11. He walked around, told wealthy New Yorkers they could spend money and, uh, well, wait. Tell me again, what did he do to get all this credit?

Rhywun|7.13.07 @ 1:20PM|#

Tell me again, what did he do to get all this credit?

He made everyone forget what a bully he was for the previous seven years.

|7.13.07 @ 1:21PM|#

"""Tell me again, what did he do to get all this credit?"""

He ran away from his emergency command bunker?

|7.13.07 @ 1:43PM|#

I'm gonna get snarked all to hell, but fuck it.

I think Rudy did a decent job, in his capacity as Mayor, during and after 9II. I'm not saying he saved the world, but that isn't a Mayor's job. His job was to get trash collection schedules changed, his job was to initiate clean-up activities, his job was to attempt to acquire federal aid, his job was to create an environment where Wall Street could open quickly - all of this under the collective assumption (at the time) that more attacks were quite likely.

There are a thousand little things that can make a City run efficiently or inefficiently, and are difficult enough to achieve without being under duress. Seems to me he did most of them fairly well, fairly well in a City that has more people than the entire State of Virginia.

Yeah, I'll hand it to ya, he walked around in the rubble with a mask on and went to some Mets games for photo-ops. Pure, unadulterated phot-ops. But I'm not convinced those weren't helpful at the time either.

Now, should someone win the presidency based solely on this - no - but to say he did a poor job is pretty strange.

|7.13.07 @ 1:51PM|#

Unless you transpose "Democrats" and "journalists" ... that isn't true.

Reynolds' comment was about a linked story that discussed Hillary Clinton's connection to that ad, so the "Democrats" part makes sense. Though I thought the linked story didn't back up its claims that this was a "Dan Rather"-type story.

On another note, I can't say I have great faith in the IAF to dispassionately and apolitically report the facts. Giuliani and the police and fire unions have usually been at odds.

|7.13.07 @ 1:54PM|#

While true, the idea he wanted the elections suspended so he could continue to govern shows him as poor presidential material.

|7.13.07 @ 1:57PM|#

BadMood, I agree, you can't really say Rudy did a poor job, but I think it can be said he did the job anyone who was Mayor would have done. There was nothing special about the way Rudy handled it. It certainly wasn't a job that warrants the title of Americas Mayor. That title would have been afixed to whom ever was the Mayor at the time.

|7.13.07 @ 2:12PM|#

but I think it can be said he did the job anyone who was Mayor would have done

Damn straight!

|7.13.07 @ 2:14PM|#

Yeah, like me!

|7.13.07 @ 2:17PM|#

ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE who lived in or visited NYC in the David Dinkins era has to acknowlede that Rudy radically transformed the city from an unihabitable war zone into the capital of the world. Should he be elected based solely on his response to 9/11? No. But add that leadership to his prior 7 years of implementing executive policies in the wolves den of liberalism? I can see why some people are concerned about his prospects.

tros|7.13.07 @ 2:24PM|#

He walked around, told wealthy New Yorkers they could spend money and, uh, well, wait. Tell me again, what did he do to get all this credit?

Don't forget 'used funerals as his personal photo-ops'

peter jackson|7.13.07 @ 2:32PM|#

You have to admit that the idea of a Republican president who wouldn't spend all of his time fag-bashing is attractive as well. my biggest problem with Rudy is the way he conducted himself before he was mayor.

|7.13.07 @ 2:37PM|#

So a few unionist goons don't like a guy running for president because he has an R after his name. This is news?

ed|7.13.07 @ 2:39PM|#

He went to a lot of Yankees games too. They lost the World Series anyway. But at least we're stuck with "God Bless America" at every seventh-inning stretch for all eternity. For that alone he should roast in hell.

|7.13.07 @ 2:54PM|#

It seems to me that the "terror-fighting credentials" Rudy is running on are at least as significant as the "experience" that Hillary's running on. The former was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, the latter was a matter of being married the right person.

|7.13.07 @ 2:57PM|#

...some groteque Cronenbergian mash-up of a forcefield and a crying baby-impenetrable to force, impervious to criticism, guaranteed only to backfire and render sterile those who come up against it.

That's a hideously beautiful line.

|7.13.07 @ 3:20PM|#

"""ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE who lived in or visited NYC in the David Dinkins era has to acknowlede that Rudy radically transformed the city from an unihabitable war zone into the capital of the world. """"

That's false, New York was habitable, and not a war zone. A few riots aside. But I do acknowledge a transformation.

dhex|7.13.07 @ 3:32PM|#

yeah and giving rudy all the credit for that ignores other factors going on in america at the time.

but like whatever, dude's fucked in the water anyway. thank zog.

TallDave|7.13.07 @ 3:48PM|#

Yeah, yeah, Rudy has no chance. Been hearing that trope since 2006. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawn.

Unless you transpose "Democrats" and "journalists"-

You'd be right about 80-90% of the time, according to Pew.

|7.13.07 @ 3:56PM|#

Obama has a major skelton in his closet. His democratic opponents won't exploit it because they agree with him, and/or and fear the PP retribution, in their campaign coffers.

The skelton?

Obama sponsored legsilation that would have legalized Chinese style infanticide as a legallly permsisable abortion technique and for population control.

Too lazy to get an abortion in the first , second or even third trimester. h ewould let you kill it anyway. Just a "delayed Abortion"

He would have forgiven any abortionist who messed up in killing a baby in the birth canal bu puncturing it brain. He would have changed the law to explicitely allow and say the baby born in spite of his Abortionists screw up could still be killed, without consequence.

He did this not once but consecutively each year, for five years, while in the Illinois legisilature. He personally buried in a comittee he chaired, a bill to explicitely punish abotionists who simply killed the babies and flushed them down a toilet or put them in a garbage bag with the trash.

Skeltons? yes Obama has a great one.

|7.13.07 @ 4:08PM|#

Exactly, Glenn. We're terrified.

Don't change a thing. Keep hitting the same buttons as the last five and a half years, because boy, does the prospect of that have us quaking in our boots.

|7.13.07 @ 4:12PM|#

Here's a hint for understanding politician-speak:

if you didn't already know that a political figures was desperate - say, Katherine Harris on November 1 desperate - and an attack by that politician on his opponent causes him to describe the attack as "desperate," that means the opponent doesn't have a comeback, knows the attack has hit home, and wants to avoid discussing the merits.

|7.13.07 @ 4:17PM|#

Look at what Reynolds wrote about the Firefighters' charges. Look at what the Guiliani spokesman said. Look at what the Guiliani supporters on this thread are saying.

Notice anything missing?

helpus|7.13.07 @ 4:24PM|#

Notice anything missing?

No mention that 9/11 was an inside job?

helpus|7.13.07 @ 4:26PM|#

Yeah, I know it has no point. That's why I figured it would go swimmingly with your post.

|7.13.07 @ 4:37PM|#

I'm sorry, helpus, the correct answer was "None of them even attempt to rebut the charges on the merits."

*chucks case of Turtle Wax at helpus*

helpus|7.13.07 @ 4:47PM|#

thanks for the wax

|7.13.07 @ 4:53PM|#

Skeltons? yes Obama has a great one.

Does he have a Red Skelton?

VM|7.13.07 @ 5:11PM|#

hell - throws stas peterson at helpus

MarionBarry|7.13.07 @ 6:21PM|#

but I think it can be said he did the job anyone who was Mayor would have done

Me too!

|7.13.07 @ 8:34PM|#

Somebody explain to me the difference between Rudy Giuliani and Joe Lieberman in their political outlook? Because I'll be damned if I can find any major differences.

|7.14.07 @ 9:11AM|#

I think the firefighters DVD has done a lot to reveal how much the major "conservative" blogs are tools of the RNC. They have been trying their best to spike this story. It took them days to even mention it, and when they do it is all about the motivations and nothing about the charges.

|7.14.07 @ 9:34AM|#

Saw this yesterday, pretty good--

Feeling the pangs of his duty
A fellow turned to his Trudy
I'm off to the John
Won't be gone too long
Then he filled up the bowl with a Rudy

|7.14.07 @ 2:21PM|#

I was hit up by the Washington affiliate of these bozos for contributions last year. At the time of their first phone call, I was open to the concept on contributing to a firefighter's group, but told them to mail the forms to me, because I don't donate to ANY cause over the phone. When I got the paperwork, I took a closer look at who they were, and discovered that they were a typical left-wing union outfit, with about 80% of their political contributions going to Democrats. Worse, their website had a link to the AFL-CIO newsfeed, which was full of spittle-flecked rants against Republicans. I circular-filed their solicitation, and told them in no uncertain terms why I didn't contribute when they called back to find out why they didn't get a donation from me. Bullshit like this only reinforces my commitment to never donate to any union-affiliated groups for any reason whatsoever.

|7.14.07 @ 8:26PM|#

"His job was to get trash collection schedules changed,"

Really no different than during a strike or power outtage.

"his job was to initiate clean-up activities,"

And he gave a mafia burial to plenty of firefighters by doing it on the cheap, lied to workers who'll probably die of cancer now and sold the area as safe whe it wasn't.

"his job was to attempt to acquire federal aid,"

Failed completely. They're still trying to get that aid.

"his job was to create an environment where Wall Street could open quickly - all of this under the collective assumption (at the time) that more attacks were quite likely."

I'm not sure what "collective" you belong to, but most people I knew wanted to go out because it was, like, wednesday and stuff. I guess you can give Rudy credit because bartenders showed up for work, taxis were on duty, busses were working, etc. I just don't recall the hysteria you remember. Perhaps we were just young and brash.

I think you have a point that Rudy's government didn't totally fall apart due to the damage. He just didn't do anything that merits him being elected president. He basically told city workers to stay on the job, brought in contractors to take out rubbish, and ensured a killing for mesothelioma lawyers in 20 years.

All in all, C+ or B- if we're charitable.

AS for the transformation, I could turn any dump into a habitable place if I could do what Rudy did, i.e., arrest everybody. Is that what we need in America, a guy who's solution to problems is to arrest everybody?

|7.15.07 @ 9:10AM|#

How can the FDNY attack a man of such impeccable credentials?

His Penn campaign mgr busted for bribery
His La campaign mgr confesses to prostitution
His SC campaign mgr arrested for distrib cocaine
His close friend and ex-NYC police chief doing time for public corruption
He's anti trad family, pro disposable wife (married 3x), pro abortion, gay rights advocate
He's anti sovereignty, pro merger Can-USA-Mex, pro gov seizure of 100s thousands sq miles of land for largest private FOREIGN OWNED TOLL HIWAY in world
Tied to mob
No foreign policy experience

Such recommendations, and they dare complain about a few fallen comrades?

|7.16.07 @ 9:50AM|#

Well, to be fair (and not to take anything away from your list), Rudy's "ties" to the mob are questionable given his, authentic I believe, disdain for it. Remember, he made his name busting the mob.

Otherwise, nice list!!