posted by Damozel | Don't know about you, but I think Giuliani was being absolutely sincere when he said that he was one of the 911 cleanup workers, adding that he was "at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers.”(New York Times)
He's trumpeted his role in 911 so many times that he probably believes himself that he was present the entire time. After all: he was America's Mayor! And the first responders---police, firefighters, etc.---were acting on behalf of the city, therefore on behalf of the mayor---so therefore it's totally as if he was right there with them 24/7. And so I'm sure he was---in spirit. But some of the people who were actually there round the clock in body have evidently grown tired of Giuliani's vaunting his 911 leadership.
“I found his comment to be disgracefully insulting,” said John J. McDonnell, a battalion chief and president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association in New York. “I personally saw him on the 11th, and I can’t tell the next time I saw him” at the site after the attacks (New York Times) .
The International Association of Fire Fighters has released a video cruelly titled, “Rudy Giuliani:
Urban Legend.” (New York Times). Those who view Giuliani as one of the heroes of 911 might wish to consider the views expressed by the heroes of 911 (below). "These are the unvarnished stories of firefighters," they announce:
Giuliani, rather endearingly, I think, protested:
....I wasn’t trying to suggest a competition of any kind, which is the way it came across,” he said. “You know, what I was saying was, ‘I’m there with you.’ Gosh almighty, I was there often enough, even though they were there, people there more and people there less, but I was there often enough so that every health consequence that people have suffered, I could also be suffering.” (New York Times)
Sure, Rudy. But gosh almighty...you're not, right?. Thankfully, you are not.
Even so: I think some of the assertions in the video are a bit ridiculous. Not that it matters to me because my issue with Giuliani is his seeming failure to realize that a few days' heroism provide him with his best qualifications for the presidency. It's not enough. There are issues in addition to terrorism. I'm not impressed by anything I've read, heard, or seen so far. If I had to have a Republican President---if there were no other choices--- I'd choose McCain, Romney, Paul over Giuliani (not necessarily in that order).
The anger of some first responders shows...something. Certainly some might see a certain insensitivity in the way his campaign repeatedly frames his role during 911 (and in the period after) a basis for his claim to the presidency.
His campaign did have the energy to lash back at John Edwards, when he said, "“It seems that Giuliani is determined to take every opportunity to exploit the memory of 9/11 for political gain, rather than honor the incredible sacrifices of our first responders.”(New York Times) Oooh, harsh!
To which Giuliani's "top spokeswoman" said, "“For John Edwards to lecture Rudy Giuliani about September 11th is laughable, at best...This is, after all, the same guy who thinks the war on terror is simply a ‘bumper sticker.’ ”
Typical! Reasonable people differ whether the "war on terror"---a phrase our allies the Brits reject---reflects reality, any more than does the "war on drugs." The question of whether Giuliani deserves the credit he claims for his performance before, during, and after 911 is different. Questions such as :"was he or was he not present on the scene as much as, or more than, first responders?" can be answered yes or no. I'm sure it's possible to determine what Giuliani did---or didn't---do.
Other Republicans (and also Democrats) shouldn't let themselves get derailed into arguments over semantics. I hope that journalists will delve into the facts Giuliani's touted role as 911 specialist, terror prevention mogul, crisis manager, and public hero. If the stories hold up? Then he deserves the credit, and people who feel that terrorism is the only issue that really matters will doubtless vote for him.
Sensible conservative (and political satirist) Jon Swift---as always---says it best:
Although everyone applauds his heroic conduct on September 11, 2001, some conservatives think he may be too liberal on many social issues and there are questions about his personal life and temperament. Isn't it unfair, though, to judge a man on how he behaved on 22,930 days of his life instead of the day he was at his best? Besides, Besides, Giuliani is not running on these other 22,930 days of his life, he's running on just this one day, and when Giuliani is President, every day will be 9/11....
Already the liberal media is adding to concerns of some conservatives by dwelling on the other 22,930 days of Giuliani's life and trying to take the focus away from the only day that really counts. "The Giuliani tenure at City Hall was, until the attacks of Sept. 11, a blur of a combative mayor fighting with political opponents, civil rights leaders, voters and reporters," Adam Nagourney writes in The New York Times. The article quotes former New York mayor Ed Koch, who says there is a "bad Giuliani…who insulted rivals, refused to meet with critics, was ruthless in attacking political enemies" and a "good Giuliani" who was on display on September 11. Luckily, the "bad Giuliani" is not running for president.
Why are so many conservatives, however, prepared to give Giuliani a pass on the non-9/11 days of his life? Like most Americans, conservatives are nostalgic for September 11 the way an earlier generation was nostalgic about World War II. It was a day when all Americans were united regardless of political ideology, race, religion (with the possible exception of Muslims) or even sexual orientation (until we later learned from Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell and Dinesh D'Souza how gays and lesbians were actually responsible for the attacks). Americans even liked New York on September 11. On that day there was no messy war in Iraq, Katrina was the name of the leader of an '80s pop band that sang about sunshine and Walter Reed was one of the best hospitals in the country. When Giuliani is elected President we can relive those halcyon days again and again and again. In our mind's eye no matter what he does or has done, Giuliani will always be on a perpetual tape loop playing footage of him amidst the rubble of the World Trade Center (Jon Swift; links in original).
The Art of the Prankster, the site for hoaxes, embellishments, urban legends, "culture jamming and reality hacking" where I found the "Urban Legend" video, discusses it at length.
LINKED, CITED, OR QUOTED
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