Kurtz on Giuliani: "Is there any possibility that he's being kind of Swiftboated here?"
SUMMARY: On CNN's Reliable Sources, Howard Kurtz repeated a pattern in which he suggests that the media skew coverage against Republicans by asking -- regarding scrutiny of Rudy Giuliani's actions related to 9-11 -- "Why all the press scrutiny of the mayor's performance that day?" and "Is there any possibility that he's being kind of Swiftboated here?" He also asserted: "[M]y impression is that these stories are being driven by New York Fire Department officials and others in the city who just don't like Rudy." But scrutiny of Giuliani has not been confined to "the mayor's performance that day," and it is not just "Fire Department officials" and others "who just don't like" him who have said that his actions have been inadequately scrutinized.
On the September 16 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources, host and Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz repeated a pattern in which he suggests that the media skew coverage in favor of Democrats and against Republicans by asking -- regarding scrutiny of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's actions related to 9-11 -- "Why all the press scrutiny of the mayor's performance that day?" and "Is there any possibility that he's being kind of Swiftboated here?" He also asserted: "[M]y impression is that these stories are being driven by New York Fire Department officials and others in the city who just don't like Rudy." But scrutiny of Giuliani has not been confined to "the mayor's performance that day," and it is not just "Fire Department officials" and others "who just don't like" him who have said that his actions have been inadequately scrutinized.
Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented examples of Kurtz promoting the notion of a liberal bias in the media by asking leading questions, including: "[A]re the media openly siding with the Democrats?"; "Is the press to blame for the fact that" former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) "is under indictment?"; and "Is the press playing up U.S. military mistakes in Iraq?"
Kurtz began the September 16 segment on coverage of Giuliani by saying:
KURTZ: Now, this week was also, of course, the sixth anniversary of 9-11, and the media observed that, although not quite with the wall-to-wall coverage that they have in past years. But suddenly there are all these stories about Rudy Giuliani and what he did as mayor of New York City on that awful day. Let's take a look at some of those pieces.
But recent scrutiny of Giuliani's actions in confronting terrorism as mayor is not confined to "what he did as mayor of New York City on that awful day." As Media Matters has repeatedly noted, Giuliani has been criticized over a number of issues, including his failure to ensure that firefighters would have radios that could communicate with those of other first responders and his decision to locate the city's emergency command center in the World Trade Center.
Kurtz made reference to Giuliani's decision regarding the command center, but did not explain its relevance to Giuliani's actions on 9-11 or its contribution to the photographic images from that day, which Giuliani and supporters have used to dramatize his role:
KURTZ: Giuliani made some mistakes, especially by putting the emergency command center in the World Trade Center. But my impression is that these stories are being driven by New York Fire Department officials and others in the city who just don't like Rudy.
As Media Matters has documented, Giuliani headed to the city's emergency command center in the World Trade Center on September 11 but was advised that it was too dangerous, which left him searching for a location from which to manage the situation. In the book Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 (HarperCollins, 2006), authors Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins wrote that Giuliani's "original destination" after hearing about the attacks was his "much-ballyhooed command center" at 7 World Trade Center (Page 6). However, according to the authors, then-New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, "who was waiting to meet [Giuliani], decided it was too dangerous to bring the mayor up to the command center [Giuliani] had so carefully and expensively built" (Page 340). Barrett and Collins wrote that "Giuliani then began a harrowing trek to find a temporary headquarters where the city could manage the unfolding disaster" (Page 6). As Media Matters has noted, Barrett and Collins concluded that if the command center had not posed such a safety risk to Giuliani, "all the dramatic visuals that turned the soot-covered Giuliani into a nomad warrior would instead have been tense but tame footage from its barren press conference room" (Page 41).
Further, contrary to Kurtz's suggestion, it is not just fire department officials "and others in the city who just don't like Rudy" who have said that Giuliani's record related to 9-11 should be scrutinized. The co-chairmen of the bipartisan 9-11 Commission, former Gov. Thomas Kean (R-NJ) and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN) noted that Giuliani's 9-11 record had escaped scrutiny. They wrote in their book Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission (Random House, 2006) that "[t]he questioning of Giuliani was ... 'a low point' in the commission's examination of witnesses during public hearings," according to the Associated Press. The AP added that Kean and Hamilton wrote: "We did not ask tough questions, nor did we get all of the information we needed to put on the public record. ... It proved difficult, if not impossible, to raise hard questions about 9/11 in New York without it being perceived as criticism of the individual police and firefighters or of Mayor Giuliani."
Moreover, while Kurtz played short clips of reports from ABC, NBC, and CBS mentioning criticism of Giuliani's 9-11 record, Kurtz did not actually air or otherwise note most of the substantive criticism from those network reports, including Giuliani's failure to upgrade firefighters' radios after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center or Giuliani's claim that he spent more time at Ground Zero than most rescue workers. Both the NBC and ABC reports clipped by Kurtz noted criticism over the radios. As Media Matters has noted, New York City's firefighters have been critical of Giuliani for what they see as his failure to ensure that the New York police and fire departments had interoperable radios. At the time of the attacks, the New York Fire Department was using outdated VHF radios that were incompatible with the police department's UHF radios. On March 14, The New York Times reported that Harold A. Schaitberger, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), said of Giuliani: "The whole issue of the radios is unforgivable. ... Everyone knew they needed a better system, and he didn't get it done." As Media Matters documented, problems with the firefighters' radios were known years before 9-11. Barrett, also a staff writer for The Village Voice, reported in an August 7 article that a 1995 sarin-gas drill conducted by New York City officials highlighted the radio interoperability problem that "would be identified years later in official reviews of the 9/11 response." After the 1993 World Trade Center rescue effort, then-New York City Fire Chief Anthony L. Fusco wrote about the radios' limited ability in the December 1993 issue of Fire Engineering. In addition, the September 11 NBC News report that Kurtz clipped also noted criticism of Giuliani's August 9 claim that he "was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers" participating in the hazardous cleanup. As Media Matters noted, The New York Times reported that Giuliani's archive showed that he spent "a total of 29 hours" at Ground Zero from "Sept. 17 to Dec. 16, 2001," while "[i]n that same period, many rescue and recovery workers put in daily 12-hour shifts."
Kurtz did acknowledge that Giuliani made "some mistakes, especially putting the emergency command center in the World Trade Center," but he later asked: "But who was expecting planes to fly into the World Trade Center?" In fact, many observers had noted that the World Trade Center was a potential terrorist target before 9-11. As Media Matters documented, the final report of the 9-11 Commission noted that the New York City Office of Emergency Management's "headquarters was located at 7 WTC. Some questioned locating it both so close to a previous terrorist target and on the 23rd floor of a building (difficult to access should elevators become inoperable). There was no backup site." Additionally, as Media Matters noted, Barrett wrote in his August 7 article that then-Police Commissioner Howard Safir "called it [the proposed command center location] 'Ground Zero' because of the earlier attack."
Finally, contrary to Kurtz's suggestion that Giuliani might not be "getting a fair shake" about his 9-11 record, media outlets have routinely touted Giuliani's heroism or leadership on September 11 while ignoring criticism of his record. In fact, as Media Matters has documented, Kurtz himself touted Giuliani as a "9/11 hero[]." Kurtz wrote in his February 6 online column that Giuliani was "one of the heroes of 9/11," adding that his "accomplishments are undeniable." Further, in a July 14, 2006, column Kurtz wrote that "[t]hose who think that the 9/11 hero would be a formidable candidate are forgetting about the 9/10 Rudy. Meaning, this is a guy who is pro-choice on abortion, pro-gay rights and moved in with a gay couple after a messy breakup with his wife that came as he was dating another woman." Similarly, in a December 14, 2006, column, Kurtz asserted that Giuliani would "have trouble with some GOP primary voters, who now think of him primarily as a 9/11 hero, when he gets pounded for his liberal positions on abortion rights and gay rights."
From the September 16 edition of CNN's Reliable Sources:
KURTZ: Coming up in the second half of Reliable Sources, Rudy Giuliani and 9-11. Why all the press scrutiny of the mayor's performance that day?
[...]
KURTZ: Six years after 9-11, Rudy Giuliani's role is getting dissected by the networks, but is the former mayor getting a fair shake? We'll tackle that in a moment.
[...]
KURTZ: Now, this week was also, of course, the sixth anniversary of 9-11, and the media observed that, although not quite with the wall-to-wall coverage that they have in past years. But suddenly there are all these stories about Rudy Giuliani and what he did as mayor of New York City on that awful day. Let's take a look at some of those pieces.
[begin video clip]
CYNTHIA McFADDEN (co-anchor of ABC's Nightline) [video clip]: But he does have critics, many of whom say his leadership on that day six years ago was not what it should have been.
BRIAN WILLIAMS (anchor of NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams): And that day became the basis, really, for his run for president. And not everyone feels the same way about it.
JEFF GREENFIELD (CBS News senior political correspondent): Some critics have questioned Giuliani's judgment in planning for a terrorist attack and caring for rescue workers afterward.
[end video clip]
KURTZ: Now, Gene Robinson [Washington Post columnist], Giuliani made some mistakes, especially by putting the emergency command center in the World Trade Center. But my impression is that these stories are being driven by New York Fire Department officials and others in the city who just don't like Rudy.
ROBINSON: Well, that's true. Rudy Giuliani left behind a lot of enemies in New York City, as you well know. I mean, look, it's fair game. The guy's running for president, and so examining his role on the day that is really, in many ways, the centerpiece of his campaign is perfectly legitimate.
I think we should kind of draw a line between mistakes he made or might have made in the time before 9-11. Was he prepared? Did he put the command center in the wrong place? That sort of thing. All these decisions that were made earlier. And when you look at his performance on the day, you know, you can complain this way or that way. I think --
KURTZ: But who was expecting planes to fly into the World Trade Center?
ROBINSON: Exactly, who was expecting that? And, you know, as somebody who's not necessarily a huge fan of Rudy Giuliani, I think you have to give him that he was an amazing, inspiring force that day.
KURTZ: It's --
BLANQUITA CULLUM (conservative radio talk-show host and Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) member): You bet. And you know what? None of the other candidates, not one single one of them has that learning curve. Now, granted, some people are going to say that, "Well, he didn't do this right and he didn't do that right." There's not one of the other candidates that had to suffer the learning curve that Rudy did. And he was the one that was the symbol of strength during 9-11. He was more than --
KURTZ: A symbol. The key word is "symbol."
CULLUM: But you know what?
KURTZ: Some people are saying when you get to his performance --
CULLUM: But you know what, Howie? The thing of it is, he's already learned those lessons.
KURTZ: But let --
CULLUM: He knows what he has done wrong. And he --
KURTZ: Let's talk about the stories focusing on this. Is there any possibility that he's being kind of Swiftboated here?
CULLUM: Oh, well, they're going to try to Swiftboat him. But I've got to tell you that --
KURTZ: Who? His critics or the media?
CULLUM: His critics, the critics in the media. And I've got to tell you, it's not going to play with Rudy because Rudy has got a strength that is beyond his critics. And frankly, he has the only experience in that venue and he's -- what he can do better? I think Rudy ought to say, "This is what I learned, and this is what I'm going to do in case it happens next time," and very well it could happen next time.
This is important for people to consider when they're looking at the candidates, because none of them have that experience.
KURTZ: All right. You both agree that at least this subject is fair game, especially with somebody who is running for president.
ROBINSON: Sure.
CULLUM: Yeah.
KURTZ: But what about Senator David Vitter [R-LA]?
Clearly irony is dead and buried if these right-wing hacks can use the Swift Boat analogy to defend one of their own without an angry mob bursting into the studio carrying the 'newsman' off and tossing him in a canal.
And nice the way he can dismiss the fireman as folks who just don't like Rudy. As if it just doesn't mean anything. They portray him as though everyone just loves America's Mayor but then when someone doesn't like him it has nothing to do with anything.
Reminds me of the way they dismissed the millions of people who took to the streets before we invaded Iraq. "Well sure they're protesting but it's mostly just liberals and anti-war people." Huh? And still no mention after years of carnage that those millions were right. Instead they talk about how there was virtually no oppostion to the war. ???? Well at least not from people who were for the war. So now, everyone loves Rudy. But don't worry about the people who don't love Rudy because they aren't among the everyone who loves Rudy. Subtle stuff huh?
If being swiftboated means being put in ones place in the eyes of the public with all the visual and audio and documented facts....... then yes, I suppose that Rotten Rudy is being swiftboated!
Of course, if the majority of the MSM would do their damn job amd not leave it for the minority of the media (MediaMatters, Greg Palast, to name two) they'd already know that!
Is Rudy being swiftboated here?--Kurtz
You know what, they're allowed to do that.--Kurtz
To be "swiftboated", there is no "kind of" to it. Swiftboating was carried out by a hyper-partisan well-funded group to attack the Democratic frontrunner. He was attacked as a fraud, a coward, and a traitor on THE VERY SUBJECT of his military service in combat. These accusations had two features: 1. they went counter to the OFFICIAL reports held by the Navy, and 2. they had no supporting evidence; only the "word" of hyper-partisans.
This is a specific, well-orchestrated, calculated thing, to plot a "Swiftboating". The formula is smears and lies originating from a partisan organization.
Rudy Giulianni, having FACTS about his past, reported by the news media? A "swiftboating"? Nope. Don't get to claim anything even close.
Nice post, sundog. For somone whose role is supposedly to take a serious, critical look at the media, Kurtz is surprisingly glib and superficial -- and just plain inaccurate. NYC firefighters "just don't like" Giuliani? And how can one possibly be "kind of Swiftboated?"
You have to wonder what it will take for Kurtz to finally lose his job. His recent claim that the media had been ignoringthe issue of deteriorating and unsafe bridges prior to the collapse in Minnesota has been shown to be false.
Yeah, the press sure is hard on those poor Republicans! Look how they've hounded Bush over his idiotic foray into Iraq...oh...wait...never mind.
I feel bad for the next guest, the one who had to sit in the wet spot after Cullum finished talking about Rudy...
Seriously, I'm thinking that a "liberal media" may not be so far-fetched. How better to make conservatives look bad than having someone like Cullum presented as a legitimate conservative commentator?
I don't think it's really "Swiftboating" if it's true and germane.
The Swiftboat scandal was a Republican-orchestrated character assassination, but more importantly, what they reported simply WASN'T TRUE!!
Guiliani, on the other hand, is facing substantive criticism of his leadership, and all of this is extremely pertinent to whether or not we ought to trust him running the country. To brush off debate of FACTS of what he did might mean we have another ill-equipped, ill-prepared, posturing president.
LEFT:
Notice that in a factual discussion of Rudy's true leadership record, his performance, how he is viewed by those most directly affected by his policies and actions ... all the GOP can say is that "he made some mistakes".
Guess what, you rightwing drones? Every court in every sector of this nation is holding trials every day to determine the fate of people who have "just made some mistakes". They act as if just saying he made mistakes should end the discussion right there. Wishful thinking, drones.
The most incredible feature is that Rudy's 9/11 performance is the entire basis for his presidential run. He is being scrutinized, he is being found wanting, and the rightwing is very upset. Too damn bad.
"The case against President Bush goes to character. He makes grave decisions on the basis of inadequate or incompetent advice, wilfully persists in them though they prove mistaken, and surrounds himself with people careful not to unsettle his rigid views." --Russell Baker [From "The Election and America's Future," New York Review of Books, November 2004: [link to www.nybooks.com]
I believe that if Rudy is going to run for President carrying around 9/11 as a badge of honor for his leadership, etc - then he better be able to take the criticism tossed his way as well. He cannot expect some sort of immunity or cry foul whenever he is scrutinized for that day, especially when he uses it as one of the reasons he is asking for votes.
As for Kurtz, the "swiftboat" reference has become part of our vernacular when discussing outside influences affecting political races.
Tommy, that may be the more benign definition of "Swift Boating" used in this item, even as they're suggesting personal and malicious motives for criticism of giuliani .
I don't think I'm alone in having a very different definition, one that describes a more calculated and organized attack not based on facts.
HBL,
I agree with your definition in the narrower sense, but time, in my opinion, has broadened it to include outside groups with some axe to grind, fairly or unfairly, at candidates. I believe Kurtz was referring to that, but I could be wrong.
Actually, my post was written badly and not very clear. I was trying to make the point that (guessing and mind-reading) these Rudy-defenders were probably supporters of the original Swift Boaters as brave men exposing Kerry, but were using the term in reference to giuliani to describe unfair attacks.
Of course that's the case Beach. The only way to soften this story is to say Rudy aint all that but using Swiftboated is fair. Of course it's not fair. The swiftboaters weren't just outside influence. They have been shown to be liars. And they had ties to the Bush campaign. It was a proxy group of liars. That's swiftboating.
Beach,
"Swift Boating" & adding "Gate" onto to any real or imagined political scandals is the norm. I'm guessing most don't think too hard about any *stringent* definitions.
Holy crap Jeter, what are guys doing over in the AL East? My Cubs were supposed to play Boston in the series as a sign of the Apocolypse. Y'all gonna screw it up for us?
Apologies for the off-topic, but a Cub fan with October fever is a pretty helpless creature.
That's OK, Sundog. My Angels have unexpectedly won some games in September, so I'm looking out for those four Horsemenm too.
Didn't you guys win a few years ago? Weren't you the ones with the monkey? I thought that was the Angels. We're trying to avoid a losing century here. Gettin mighty close.
Yeah, in '02, but that was the only one.And it's the Los Angeles Anaheim Orange County Angels of Los Amgeles adjacent Anaheim, I think.
How do you find the stadium?
PLeasant enough, thank you.And yes, they're the ones with the rally monkey, who I hated until I realized how much Yankee and Red Sox fans hate it.
And the stadium is directly across the freeway from the Walt Disney Anaheim Mighty Ducks Fantasia Pirates of the Carribean Duck Pond, so it's easy to find.
NIce. Great way of being given lemons and making lemonade. Or as a wise man once put it; having a rally monkey and not throwing a beer bottle at it.
Trying to think of how a Brewers fan would feel if the Cubs got something too. Like the Teste Terrier? He could wear a little Cubs jersey and hump Bob Brenley's leg whenever we get a man on.
You mean the Lanaheim Orangels Angels?
Sundog,
I believe you mean hopeless creature....Hopeless would be a step up for us Pirate fans.
I seem to remember watching a killer Pirates team back in the 70's. Didn't they win it all? That's a pretty recent decade in the eyes of a Cubs fan.
Holy crap Jeter, what are guys doing over in the AL East?
Shhhh SunDog you'll jinx us ;-)
I'm holding my breath & being cautiously optimistic for now...
What does a Yankees fan know about jinxes?? Actually you're probably getting some of it on you just talking to me in September. Sorry. Smell like goat in here? We're gonna get busted for talking sports. No flags please folks. We argue enough ok?
SunDog,
As much as I'm enjoying watching the Yanks charging & the Red Sox slipping, I'm not gonna get too excited. Winning another division title would be nice but it doesn't guarantee how well they'll do in the postseason. All I have to do is remember 2005. We clinched the division title against the Sox the second to last day of the regular season, then got knocked out by Beach's Angels in the first round of the playoffs.
Still, living here in Massachusetts and watching the Red Sox fans squirm does bring a smile to my face ;-)
Nice to see the Cubs sitting atop the NL Central division ...of course they'll probably just find yet another way to break your heart :-/
But try to stay optimistic...if the Sox could finally break the dreaded Curse of the Bambino, getting rid of a goat can't be that much harder ;-)
Can't break what's already broken. And then they do. It's our little miracle of the North Side. We're having a blast though. I learned young to enjoy the meal even if there's no dessert. Sounds like sex I know but I'm talking about the season. Seems like the more I think about baseball, the longer it lasts. The season. Go Cubs. No more baseball, we're totally gonna get in trouble.
HBL,
Uh huh.. like the searing of "Christmas in Cambodia", like they mysterious way Kerry got his first purple heart for a pin prick. Like disputed accounts over another other purple heart . Like his refusal to release his military records except to his hand picked media sycophants, like the falsehoods he told a congressional committee after returning to the U.S. Like his consorting with the enemy while still in the military. Don't you just hate those made up facts!
The fact that the Navy has not retracted any of those Purple Hearts should be enough to tell you the Swift Boaters were full of s**t.
The SBVT were liars, plain and simple. Bought and paid for by the GOP during the 2004 campaign.
No doubt you'll still go on believing them, just like you believe the Vince Foster rumors (Ken Starr came up empty there too), despite all those inconvenient facts that say otherwise.
Like his refusal to release his military records except to his hand picked media sycophants,
At least he had records to release not the lost ones for Juniors service or was that just the gap in his service?
..and at least he went to Viet Nam when all the chicken hawks were ducking and dodging and hiding out in OK, behind wives, and miscellaneous deferments.
Don't you just hate those made up facts! - anotheramerican
I don't really have much time for hating things, I'd say I feel more pity for those who believe made up "facts" than I hate for the made-up facts.
Why the concern about someone who did serve in Vietnam yet no concern for those Great American Chickenhawks who avoided Vietnam; Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Limbaugh, O'Reilly and the rest?
I hope to God that these people who are serving in Iraq today see how our nation treats it's war vets.
You are lying again. Kerry was within 40 miles of the Cambodian border in the morning of the day he spoke of he might very well have been in Cambodia. It is not a freeway they dont have signposts. He was almost CERTAINLY in Cambodia at some point in that time period. We WERE making regular incursions into Cambodia at this time. The NAVY disputes NONE of Kerrys medals the reinvestigated because of all this LYING about Kerry and stand by all his medals. The severity of the wound has nothing to do with the purple heart. Doles first purple heat according to his OWN words in his biography came from a self inflicted wound that he described as the type of wound the Army treated with mercurochrome and a purple heart. Kerry told NO LIES in his testimony. Everything he described you can find in the National Archives which I linked to the LAST several times you wingnuts told this LIE. Stop LYING.
The amazing thing about all this is that you feel obligated to defend a decorated veteran who actually did a little combat because he was running against a guy who in the same war got 'placed' into a thing called the 'Champagne Division.' Why did anyone feel the need to defend him? The Righties love the sacred troops and everything about the military, everything except the actual troops and apparently the word of the military. They gave him medals for combat. I had all these guys just freaking on me for doubting the veracity of Patreaus' report because he was a Decorated General for God's sake! Maybe I should have just doubted his medals instead of the report? A few weird stories two days before the report. Never really be able to track down the stories later, but by then we've moved on. That's how the GOP is handling things these days.
While it was shameful how poorly Kerry's strategists reacted to this the real shame is on Rove and all the creeps who pulled the caper in the first place. Kerry's strategist sounds a wee defensive in interviews and probably knows he set a new standard for suck. But let's not get too impressed by people who have more animal cunning than ethics. It hasn't really been that good for us after all.
To cover up his racism, AA feigns being naive about the "N" words implications and use as a racist term.
For his allegiance to discredited or unproven allegations as well as allegiance to the proven liars who falsely discredited a decorated war veteran who VOLUNTEERED for duty during a WAR, what's the excuse?
Plus the fact that one of the SBLiars got his medals from the exact same incident that Kerry did makes an interesting conundrum ... if this SBLiar still has his medals from, as he put it, an event which never took place, then he is committing the very same deception (lie) that he is accusing Kerry of ...
Tommy, I'll bet you play a mean pinball. Has anyone suggested that Giuliani is complaining about or has no right to complain about criticism of him? Or is that just off-topic diversion number one? And, sorry, 'Swiftboat' (verb) does have a more particular meaning than the one you are claiming for it. (BTW, the topic was Kurtz's demonstrably false claim that the media are skewing coverage of Republicans so as to cast them in a less favorable light.)
i'm so sick of Rudy getting a pass on what anyone could see were some extremely bad choices before, during and after 9/11.
I agree with you, Rudy needs to be held accountable for what happened after 9/11 and before, not just the photo ops.
Kurtz is a hack, plain and simple.
If elected, he's said we(we?) will attack Iran.
What I'd like to know is what exactly did Rudy do that was so heroic? I don't remember any stories of him running in to save anyone. Rudy did what he was supposed to do and kept his wits about him and that's it. That still doesn't negate all the mistakes he still made before, during and after 9/11. Besides, the way Rudy tried to stay in office when it was time for him to go makes me uneasy...I shudder to think what it would be like for him to be in the White House.
i agree that he did what he was supposed to do and kept his wits about him. and that was to be expected. bush on the other hand failed miserably that day. hard to keep your wits when you only have half of one to begin with.
Recently had a (suspected RW) letter to the editor about the use of the term "Hometown Hero" when referring to Chrissy Hynde opening up a restaurant in Akron Ohio ... the writer was saying that the term "hero" had been devalued by assigning it to Hynde ... of course, the writer probably would consider tRudy Judy-Annie a "Hero" ...
The thing that enrages me is that Rudy is saying that going through the bombing has made him an expert on terrorism. It no more made him an expert on terrorism than it did on flying a jet airliner or on designing skyscrapers. And if he gained knowledge, then it's knowledge millions of ordinary New Yorkers possess. Rudy is trying to brand 9/11. He's America's Mayor™. In doing so, he's shouldering in front of the real heroes. And that is just plain intolerable.
This really worries me. Rudy's worse than Bush in every way, and even less qualified to be president. If Gore doesn't jump in at the last minute, it will be Hillary vs. Rudy. And if the media don't bring up Giuliani's horrible record by then, Hillary won't.
I can just imagine the debates:
On health care:
Clinton: My plan, I think, will help the average American mitigate his--or her--costs of health care. It's not "socialism," it's not nationalized health care. It's a plan that works with, not against, the existing insurance system by providing tax credits to those who can't afford to buy insurance.
Giuliani: This is America--we've got the best health care in the world! By the way, TERROR TERROR AL-QAEDA TERROR 9/11 TERROR TERROR
The environment:
Clinton: I will move swiftly to reduce carbon emissions by .05% by 2080. We need to provide tax incentives to businesses to reduce pollution
Giuliani: This is America! We should let the free market take care of it! It's worked great so far! Oh, and did I mention TERROR TERROR 9/11 TERROR TERROR TERROR
On national security:
Clinton: National security is a multi-dimensional problem. Military force is only one component of our response. Diplomacy and multinational alliances are another. But one thing is clear: we cannot allow Iran to have nuclear weapons and all options must remain on the table.
Giuliani: I think the senator's remarks are reprehensible. Iran does not pose an imminent danger to this country. We should concentrate on finding common ground with the current regime, while insisting on a complete and rigorous nuclear inspection program. No, Iran's not the problem--it's Mexico. Let's nuke those f**kers! I'm Rudy Giuliani, beeeeyatch! TERROR TERROR 9/11 AL-QAEDA TERROR TERROR TERROR
Steve,
Funny! Thanks for the laugh!
Apparently MMFA feels a pundit saying "[M]y impression is..." rises to the level of right wing misinformation.
Not surprising.
No silly, it "furthers the conservative agenda".....that overly broad narrative which essentially means.......We didn't like that!
It does rise to the level of subjective Hack Reporting...
And this from the man who hosts a show called "Reliable Sources"? What a joke.
Sure 'my impression' cannot rise to the level of misinformation. By the way its MY impression you molest small furry animals
When are you going to realize that "small furry animals" analogy you keep floating up here goes far more to your hyperbolic silliness than any reasonable discussion. Do you still hope to get a reaction of "NO, I DON'T" - because it still falls flat every time.....but keep trying.
It is my impression you used to have a brain the size of a walnut, but then squirrels ate it.
Just my impression.
Rudy is a joke. Most people in NYC even hate him.
But remember folks, he kept Fifth Avenue safe from jaywalkers and window washers!
Let Rudy get the nomination...
We have to be careful we're not too hard on Rudy. My God, let this man get the nomination. I'm even contributing to his campaign.
This guy is the biggest flip-flopping, egotistical, phony I've ever seen in my life. Can you imagine the commercials we can run? This guy is our Man!
Go, Rudy, Go!!
It is one of the wonders of the world that guys in the media like Kurtz can be so lacking in introspection that they use the term "swiftboating" without any understanding of their complicity in the whole sorry mess of creating this derogatory term and technique.
Kurtz on Giuliani: "Is there any possibility that he's being kind of Swiftboated here?"
numbernine to Kurtz: "No."
RUDY Guiliani...MR. 9/11...Rudy G. MR. 9/11....
I guess when it gets nasty and the R's begin going after one another, Rudy G. MR. 9/11, will get Boated by his own concerning his infidelity. Of course, when you are Rudy G. MR. 9/11, you cannot be held responsible for little things like adultry.
"Is the press to blame for the fact that" former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) "is under indictment?"
??? no ... Tom DeLay is to blame for the fact that Tom DeLay is under indictment ...
I think hidden in that question and similar questions and remarks by be the repub fascists lies the implication and acknowledgment that "swiftboating" is a dishonest political stunt that has passed what is morally acceptable, even repulsive. And as "swiftboating" as a political stunt was invented by the repub fascists themselves they implicitly acknowledge they are dishonest, repulsive individuals (which I agree with 100%).