Terrapin Tables

I'm a bit torn by this. Giuliani certainly spends a lot of time reminding people that he is strong on counter-terrorism because he was the mayor of NYC when the attacks occurred. I've never been real clear on what from that experience makes him strong in that regard, but people seem to believe it. Is the use of the 9-11 numbers too crass, or is it too little money, should it have been $91.10 or $911? I'm pretty convinced that a lot of politicians, and pundits, diminish the sacrifice of those that died on 11 September ever time they speciously use those attacks to tout some plan of theirs, or boost their approval, particularly with those who may charitably be described as the "unwashed masses".

All in all, probably a bad idea, but I'm not convinced that it deserved as much vitriol as it has received.

I think the use of the 9-11 numbers is ridiculously crass. Not only is he using the incident for political gain, he's using it for monetary gain to the degree that he has seen fit to convert that date to a monetary sum; to little more than a cover charge.

The NY Times magazine just did a piece on him that was acclaimed as remarkably fair. So of course, the Giuliani haters came out and mentioned all the points the article missed. The big ones that stuck in my mind were that, while he apparently did a good job during the attack, since then every move he's made has been to make himself richer (there was a list, I have forgotten it). Also, he tried to extend his term as Mayor past the legally defined term because the city needed him or something - the last thing, probably, we ever need a president doing, and at the very least it's not exactly democratic. He's also the only candidate, I believe, yet to voice anything resembling a policy toward Iraq.

I don't think he'd be a good President, I think he just wants to BE president. I wish I remembered more of that article.

Also, I was reading Harper's today, and there was a quote in there along the lines of, "...and then there's Giuliani, who'd rather stand like Mussolini, barking orders from a balcony, than do a thing to help his city." Harsher than NYTimes Magazine.

Can we hit the reset button on Democracy yet?

I couldn't agree more with John. I don't see how what Rudy is doing is any different than GWB getting his way by always brining up 9/11 & turists....

Just to add to his total and complete crassness (not sure that's a word), Guliani provided the reason for why he answered his phone to his wife during his speech in front of the NRA:

"And quite honestly, since Sept. 11, most of the time when we get on a plane, we talk to each other and just reaffirm the fact that we love each other," he said.

What a complete and total fuck!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/09/28/giuliani-i-answered-my-w_n_66331.html