How does Giuliani offend? Let us count the ways

May 17, 2007

If media coverage is any indication, Rudy Giuliani scored big in this week’s GOP debate when he took Ron Paul to task for suggesting U.S. policies in the Middle East helped cause 9/11. But Greg Sargent caught an even more striking Giuliani comment shortly after the debate, when the former NYC mayor appeared on Fox News’s post-event coverage.

Rudy slipped it in quick, but there it was: He did say that he “usually” hears Democrats blaming America for 9/11:

“It reminded me of the Saudi prince that gave me the $10 million. He did the same thing: ‘This is America at fault, the way America has outreach to the world.’ Look, it’s real simple what happened. These people came here and killed us because of our freedom of religion, because of our freedom for women, because they hate us…If you’re confused about this, I think you put our country in much greater jeopardy. The reality is, these people are planning to kill us because — and this is hard for people to recognize, I usually hear this on the Democratic side, don’t usually hear it on the Republican side — you’ve got to face reality. If you can’t face reality, you can’t lead.” (emphasis added)

Yes, as far as Giuliani is concerned, Dems “usually” blame America for 9/11. DNC spokesperson Karen Finney responded, “There Rudy goes again trying to use scare tactics to win votes. Rudy should focus on explaining why it is that he didn’t face the reality after the first time the world trade center was attacked and improve communications equipment for first responders, and why he failed to protect the health of the ground zero workers and re-opened sections of lower Manhattan when he knew that the air was toxic? What kind of leadership is that?”

That’s not a bad response at all; it’s a reminder of Giuliani’s 9/11 weaknesses. But I’d just add that if any ideology leads to blaming America for 9/11, it’s the right, not the left. After all, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell blamed America for the terrorism and said we “deserved” the attacks. Dinesh D’Souza said we brought the attacks upon ourselves through our wicked, liberal ways. CNN’s Glenn Beck thinks the same thing.

Giuliani has it backwards. That seems to be an increasingly common problem.

For example, during the exact same Fox News appearance, Giuliani showed off his national security chops by flubbing a pretty basic question.

Giuliani was asked if he had an “open-ended” commitment to Iraq. He failed to directly answer the question, and instead advocated staying in Iraq in order to fight terrorists there so we don’t have to fight them here. He referenced the foiled Fort Dix terrorist plot as an example. Giuliani said, “These people do want to follow us here and they have followed us here. Fort Dix happened a week ago.”

Giuliani’s claim that the Fort Dix terrorists are an example of why we need to stay in Iraq is extremely flawed. As TalkLeft noted, the individuals arrested at Fort Dix had been in the United States well before the Iraq war, some of them for more than 23 years.

After the debate, Giuliani went on Fox, where Alan Colmes pressed him on this point. “Three of the brothers came when they were one and six and in single digits chronologically. They didn’t come here to commit jihad. They came here when they were kids. They grew up in the United States,” Colmes said. Flummoxed by the question, Giuliani visibly stuttered and could only offer, “This whole thing is a tremendous danger for us, abroad and here.”

For those keeping score at home, in just the last few weeks, Giuliani has shown that he doesn’t know the difference between Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs, and has no idea whether Iran and al Qaeda are Sunni or Shia. Asked recently for his thoughts on the efficacy of the president’s escalation strategy in Iraq, Giuliani said, “I don’t know the answer to that.” Now, he’s connecting an alleged domestic plot with Iraq for no reason at all.

As National Review’s Rich Lowry recently noted, when Giuliani responds to voters’ questions, “his answers on foreign policy and military affairs aren’t deeply informed.”

When it comes to his signature campaign issue, the man simply doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s genuinely humiliating for the poor guy — or at least it should be.

It is a legitimate point that many Moslims resent our military presence in the mideast and the Persian Gulf and our support of Israel. It is offensive that people like Rudy find it offensive to point this out and forcibly try to exclude it from the public discussion. Lots of places have freedom of religion and freedom for woman – yet they chose us to attack on 9/11 – why is that, Rudy?

  • “These people came here and killed us because of our freedom of religion, because of our freedom for women, because they hate us…”

    Oh sure, hate America, but give Canada a free pass

  • Face reality, huh Rudy? Gee, I suppose that this past 6 years was reality, and everyone on the WHOLE FUCKING PLANET wasn’t facing it! Thank God for Bu$h and his cult! They are the only ones who REALLY know what is going on, is that what you are saying? Please.

    I have come to the conclusion that Rudy is a paranoid coward. He really does believe that there is a terrorist bogeyman under his bead, around the corner lurking.

    Hey Rudy, whatever happened to the land of the free and home of the brave? You and your whole republican bunch are a bunch of whiny, pussy cowards.

  • “Lots of places have freedom of religion and freedom for woman…”

    In many ways, Saddam Hussein was a leader on these issues in the Middle East. And in other ways, he wasn’t. But he was farther ahead than most over there. And now, its a crapshoot in Iraq on such things, with odds going against such freedoms.

  • I get so damn tired of the right’s ‘binary’ approach to reality: if something bad happens to you, you are either completely innocent and undeserving of the fate which befalls you or you are completely responsible for what happens and completely deserve it. Partial culpability is something the right simply can’t grasp: for instance, Europe certainly suffered under WWII and did not by any means deserve the suffering they received, but their treatment of Germany after WWI certainly played a large role in the rise of the Nazis. This observation does not exonerate the Nazis in any way shape or form, or condemn the Europeans: it is simply an observation that major political events have causes. Another, simpler example: If a man murders his wife because she criticizes him all the time, acknowledging his ‘reason’ doesn’t exonerate him (he’s a horrible man who should be punished), or cast blame on the wife (no criticism deserves death – she’s an innocent victim), but awareness of the causes of such a crime can help others detect the warning signs of trouble and hopefully avoid the same fate.

    Rudy G’s simple-minded rhetoric basically dooms him to make the same foreign policy mistakes that have been made time and again, and I’m terrified by the thought of such a simpleton being President.

  • They hate us for our freedom? Like divorce, maybe? Or may maybe they hate us for cross dressing politicians? That Rudy sure knows how to deal with the Muslim world. Dress up like a girl and divorce a couple of wives. That’ll show ’em he means business.

  • Yes, as far as Giuliani is concerned, Dems “usually” blame America for 9/11.

    Guiliani may think this, but there’s some ambiguity in the way he said it, above. He could be claiming that when he hears someone blaming America for 9/11, it’s usually a Democrat. (And how often does he hear this? Almost never, I’d guess. But it’s a good stick to stir up the base.)

  • No way do I support Rudy, but you do twist his words. He says that when he hears it, it usually comes from Democrats, not that Democrats “usually blame America.”

    It’s funny that he said that in response to Ron Paul, a Republican!

  • If we don’t defeat these terror based candidates, they will not only follow us home but destroy our democratic foundation with their infestation of authoritarianism.

  • 2Manchu wrote: “Oh sure, hate America, but give Canada a free pass”

    This is a damn good point; could someone please ask one of the R’s candidates why the terrorists don’t hate countries which are much freer than ours? I spent a lot of time in the Netherlands, a lovely hotbed of drugs, prostitution, and gay marriage. Number of Al Qaeda terrorist attacks and attempts: 0.

    It’s not like the NL are not influential on a global scene – they run some of the world’s leading banks, and you may have heard of one of their oil companies – Shell.

  • As for the “Fort Dix Six” “terror” “plot”, I think that the military has done more damage in the last few days than these jokers did. Apparently, the wildland fire in the South Jersey Pine Barrens, which is up to about 12,000 acres, was set by a counter-measure flare from an F-16.

    ‘Course, I’m just a liberal democrat (veteran) blaming America again.

  • Probably unfair to nitpick an off-the-cuff statement, but this sounds odd:

    “The reality is, these people are planning to kill us because — and this is hard for people to recognize, I usually hear this on the Democratic side, don’t usually hear it on the Republican side — you’ve got to face reality.”

    He never got around to explaining the “because” (except for the aforementioned freedoms). But that’s because he got sidetracked by his more important point: that Democrats can’t lead.

  • “you’ve got to face reality. If you can’t face reality, you can’t lead.”

    I think what Rudy means is “If you can’t manipulate reality, you can’t lead.” That’s the republican way.

    To believe that the only reality surrounding 9/11is that “these people want to kill us because of our freedoms” is to insure that terror and the war against it will go on forever. Unfortunately, simplifying issues in this way helps the great unwashed form their opinions like, “Americans good. Muslims bad.” And makes them vote accordingly without questioning $400b wars and whatnot.

    I think this quote best sums up the Republican platform and what’s wrong with America. But the real reality is that, on the global playground, the terrorists may be the angry, scrawny kid who lashes out indiscriminately. But too often, we’re the rich fat kid, the blameless bully who always gets his way, who takes what he wants and makes fun of everyone else.

  • Rudy the Mobster: Look, it’s real simple what happened. These people came here and killed us because of our freedom of religion, because of our freedom for women, because they hate us.

    Yeah, it doesn’t have anything to do with the things bin Laden said, things like our presence in Saudi Arabia, our supporting their dictators and Israeli apartheid, or the sanctions in Iraq that killed millions of kids.

    And what’s this about “freedom for women”? You mean like reproductive rights? Do tell.

    Good thing Americans aren’t as stupid as the people who vote in the Republican primaries. Some film-maker should go to the rallys for Republican candidates, and poll the people in the audience about whether they think that Saddam was probably involved somehow with 9/11. I’ll bet at least half would say yes.

    Idiots.

  • Il Rudi is the candidate of crap-your-pants conservatism. Hey, it worked for Bush in 2004, and in that Rudy is trying to repeat the trick of turning tragic failure into heroic virtue and leadership cred, his strategery makes sense.

  • “If you can’t face reality, you can’t lead.”

    That’s a great statement by Rudy. Unfortunately for Rudy, it describes him completely.

  • When GOP candidates talk like this, I feel like punching them in the face. Their duplicity is infuriating.

  • Much like most red-blooded fucktards, Rudy doesn’t blame Americans for 9/11, he blames Liberals.

    I honestly thought we could never have a President stupider than Bush, but then Giuliani came along and that scares me.

  • Quote:

    “No way do I support Rudy, but you do twist his words. He says that when he hears it, it usually comes from Democrats, not that Democrats “usually blame America.”

    Thank you Andy for pointing this out, you beat me to it, and same here about Rudy.

    For example, saying that usually when I hear about someone getting breast cancer it’s a woman, doesn’t mean anything at all the same thing as saying woman usually get breast cancer.

    We need to be vigilant in constructing our outrage!

  • Nobody noticed?

    It reminded me of the Saudi prince that gave me the $10 million. He did the same thing: ‘This is America at fault, the way America has outreach to the world.’

    The Saudis seem to be betting on Rudy to support their oil positions. This is going to be key. Rudy doesn’t know what the h*** he’s talking about but he sure knows who pulls the purse strings. Why wasn’t he called out for “colluding” with those who committed 9/11? He is friends with the terrorists!

    It is a big conspiracy we have no comprehension of understanding.

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