FDNY Slams Giuliani

"Giuliani is running on 9/11 and portraying himself as a hero. It's disgusting. It's horrible," FDNY Deputy Fire Chief Jim Riches said, "This guy will do anything to get elected. He's misleading voters and distorting the truth. He didn't prepare the first responders for a terrorist attack. The Office of Emergency Management was a joke that day. There was a lack of communication. People died unnecessarily."

The Firefighters are probably the most beloved and respected people in New York City. Granted this was one guy saying this, but it was a big guy. If he doesn't have firefighters behind him, his 9/11 card gets thrown out.

Happy Hour

-How could you put me on trial?I truimphed over adversity! I'm the 9/11 hero guy! Do you hate America that much? But...remember 9/11? If you put me in jail, the terrorists win.

-No, Georgia can go f*&% itself, we're Florida and we need the water so our lawns outside our McMansions can be green and lush. After all, we're only surronded on water on THREE sides, not FOUR.

-Terrorists are threatening to stage a coup in Pakistan, so it goes without saying Musharraf will have to put a Western-educated female advocate of democracy until house arrest.

-AMERICA SUPPORT THE ADVANCEMENT OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY, AND WILL FIGHT TYRANTS WHEREVER THEY ARE...except South Asia.

-Gee, if we try to pull out of Iraq in the middle of the Veterans Day clearance sale, we might piss off a few dozen people in Oklahoma.

-Hey, Even Republicans see little green men.

-The death penalty is a deterrent, even when they never use it, at least that's what New Jersey Republicans say.

-Giuliani says he has experience to negotiate, but just like he when he was Mayor, he won't.

-IT'S GOING TO BE A LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG YEAR

The "Do-Nothing" Congress

Here's a list of things Congress has done, or tried to do.

1.) Pass 9/11 Commission Recommendations- PASSED AND ENACTED
2.) Funding for Stem-Cell Research- VETOED
3.) Timetable for Iraq withdrawal- VETOED
4.) Raising the Minimum Wage- PASSED AND ENACTED
5.) SCHIP Reauthorization- VETOED
6.) Voting Rights for DC Representative- DIED DUE TO VETO THREAT
7.) Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act- DIED IN SENATE
8.) Immigration Reform- KILLED BY REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRATS
9.) Lobbying Reform act- STILL IN THE SENATE
10.) A bill to amend chapter 35 of title 28, United States Code, to preserve the independence of United States attorneys. -PASSED AND ENACTED
11.) Animal Fighting Prohibition Enforcement Act- PASSED AND ENACTED
12.) Veterans Compensation Cost of Living Adjustment Act- STALLED IN SENATE
13.) Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act- STALLED IN SENATE

It's so easy to forget about other things Congress has done when all we're focused on is Iraq. Personally, I thought the chances were extremely slim they would be able to end the war and impeach the President, so I wasn't betting on it. That's probably why I'm not as pissed at Congress as most people are.

Rudy: 9/11 Made Me Answer The Phone

Yep, 9/11 is his reasoning for answering his cell phone when his wife called at the NRA meeting.

No seriously;

Giuliani also addressed a cell phone call he took from his wife, Judith, last week during his speech to the National Rifle Association...
"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.

That is, until, he finds his fourth wife and uses this White House Briefing Room to tell Judy she's moving out this afternoon.

I mean is there ANYTHING Rudy doesn't attribute 9/11 too?

Rudy: I Was For Gun Control Before I Was Against It...9/11,9/11,9/11

And what, pray, made him change his position so radically?

September 11th of course.

He references the attacks three times in two sentences.

Rudy...shut up.

Iran's President Banned From Ground Zero

I don't really care either way.

The best part of this story;

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the site should not be "used as a photo op."

That goes for you too Rudy Giuliani

Is Thompson A Liberal?

Some neocons may say so after reading this.

I have to agree with him though. Bin Laden is guilty as sin and should hang, but every man and woman deserves due process, no matter how wretched a person he or she is. That's the American way.

Don't think so? Well, my only argument is this. We do that, they don't...that's what makes us better than them.

How Many Times Can Giuliani say September 11th In One Sentence?

Three.

"For me every day is an anniversary of September 11, If we don't talk about September 11, you can't prepare to try to avoid another September 11."
-Giuliani campaigning in Florida

It's September 9th people...obsess, get angry, get scared, vote Republican.

Giuliani's Post 9/11 Schedule

Included 29 hours at Ground Zero

and an amazing 58 hours at New York Yankees baseball games (home AND away)

Now is he going to claim he's more of a Yankee than Derek Jeter?

Even more amazing, the number of hours at Ground Zero was from September 17-December 31. The Yankees only played until November 4 that year.

Giuliani Insults New York

"This is not a mayor or a governor or a president who's sitting in an ivory tower. I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was there guiding things. I was there bringing people there. But I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."

You were there in a mask and a suit showing off the devestating to foriegn leaders...at least until Bloomberg took office THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER and then you sat in your cushing consulting office and plotting how you would use our worst day for your personal gain.

Mayor, you are a slug...stop insulting New Yorkers. We are not your political pawns. We are not here to serve your ego. If it wasn't for 9/11, you would be no more than John Lindsay with a comeover. That Italian guy who served two terms as mayor and whom New Yorkers would be asking "God, why did we reelect that guy?"

You are only in the Presidential race because of September 11th and for that you should be ashamed.

At least Hillary, with all her flaws and carpetbagging, had enough sense to be a Senator and act like a Senator for six and a half years.

Democrats Do Something

And gloat about it.

Congress overwhelmingly passed a bill implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations; a homeland security cornacopia that shifts money to high risks cities and states, expands screening of cargo at air and sea terminals, and puts money into a new program to ensure that security officials at every level can communicate with each other.

After six months in office and a minimum wage incrase, the Democrats can finally celebrate that they've done...something.

“We will have done in six months what previous Congresses failed to do for almost six years,” said Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Still, Republicans complain this, the second success of the Democratic Congress shows the 110th Congress is just as useless as the 109th.

See, now here's the test;

Important Bills Passed By The 110th Congress;
-Raise in the minimum wage
-Implement the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commissions

Important Bills Passed By The 109th Congress;
-?

Yeah, exactly.

For a Congress with a President from the other side of the political spectrum, not bad...if only they'd get our troops out of Iraq.

I Don't Know

Abortion is kind of a big deal to the Republicans, Rudy.

They've been winning people with that issue since the 1970's. It's why Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) became a Republican and it's why Rep. Walter Jones (R-North Carolina) said he wouldn't switch parties.

On the other hand, Republicans do like scaring the crap out of everyone by traumatizing them with memories of 9/11, so Rudy fits that mark.

Rudy: Vote Democrat...Die

Taking a page out of the Dick Cheney book of political crap sprewing, Rudy Giuliani showed exactly how partisan he can be;

"If a Democrat is elected president in 2008, America will be at risk for
another terrorist attack on the scale of Sept. 11, 2001. This war ends when they stop coming here to kill us! Never ever again will this country ever be on
defense waiting for (terrorists) to attack us if I have anything to say about
it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!"

Right, cause we're not ALREADY playing defense. Well, you do you expect from Rudy Giuliani. All he has to campaign on is 9/11 and Republicans love to make people obsess about 9/11, because then they win.

Expect more 9/11 references from the Giuliani campaign.

Still, Hillary Clinton showed that even Rudy can be shot down;

"There are people right now in the world, not just wishing us harm but actively
planning and plotting to cause us harm. If the last six years of the Bush
Administration have taught us anything, it's that political rhetoric won't do
anything to quell those threats. And that America is ready for a change. One of
the great tragedies of this Administration is that the President failed to keep
this country unified after 9/11. We have to protect our country from terrorism
-- it shouldn't be a Democratic fight or a Republican fight. The plain truth is
that this Administration has done too little to protect our ports, make our mass
transit safer, and protect our cities. They have isolated us in the world and
have let Al Qaeda regroup. The next President is going to be left with these
problems and will have to do what it takes to make us safer and bring Democrats
and Republicans together around this common mission of protecting our nation.
That is exactly what has to be done and what I am ready to do."

Not that I think she can unite everyone, she is, after all Hillary Clinton, but nothing bothers this New Yorker more than when our worst day becomes a political talking point.

UPDATE: Obama and Edwards also responded;

"America's mayor should know that when it comes to 9-11 and fighting terrorists, America is united, We know we can win this war based on shared purpose, not the same divisive politics that question your patriotism if you dare to question failed policies that have made us less secure." -Sen. Barack Obama

"The current Republican administration led us into a war in Iraq that has made us less safe and undermined the fight against al-Qaida, If that's the Republican way to fight terror, Giuliani should know that the American people are looking for a better plan." -Former Senator John Edwards

Disgraceful

How the HELL does this happen?

You know, it just goes to show you how MESSED up this country is. You die in the worst attack on the American mainland since the War of 1812 and where do you end up? In the left lane of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

Unfreakinbelievable!

Is He Really Guilty Of Everything?

Or is he the fall guy.

That's not to say I don't think he's guilty of being involved in all of Al-Qaeda's dastardly deeds, but is he really the #1 head honcho on everything, is he, after four years behind bars, just confessing to everything because there's nothing else for him anyway. I would believe he was the mastermind behind 9/11, I would even believe he killed Daniel Pearl, but I'm skeptical of his confession of being the mastermind behind everything the terrorists have done for the past 20 years.

Just saying is all.

9/11 Commission Recommendations Passed

The Senate, after two months, has passed the bill to implement 9/11 Commission Recommendations. If you remember, the House passed this bill on January 9, 2007. Like in the House, all 50 Senate Democrats voted aye. (Tim Johnson is still recovering.) The bill won the support for 10 Republicans;

Senator Kit Bond (R-Missouri)
Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota)
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-North Carolina)
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Senator Gordon Smith (R-Oregon)
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania)
Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio)

Interesting Note: John McCain was absent for the vote...AGAIN

When All Else Fails...Invoke 9/11

In watching the House debate this week...I am struck, but not surprised, but how the desperate Republicans are trying to defend themselves.

I've heard some argue Democrats are trying to take a stand against the escalation because they willl win the 2008 election. While I am sure the fact that they're on the good side of public opinion for once is in the back of the their mind, I think they're taking a stand against the escalation not because it will help them win in 2008, but because it is WHY they won in 2006...and also because it's stupid.

Most of all, as a New Yorker who lives seven miles from what still is a giant hole in the ground in Lower Manhattan...I am so SICK of hearing these Republicans invoke 9/11 EVERY TIME they talk about this...especially when they talk about Iraq. Today I saw the following people invoke 9/11 when mentioning why we're in Iraq.

September 11th is NOT a GOP talking point. It is NOT the defense of everything. Our soldiers are not referring a civil war because of 9/11. Our soldiers did not overthrow Saddam Hussein because of 9/11. I am so sick and tired of them justifying every stupid thing they do by invoking 9/11.

"You have to remember 9/11", "We are fighting to prevent another 9/11" "We are in a new world because of 9/11" "To retreat is to forget the victims of 9/11"

ENOUGH...STOP USING MY HOMETOWN'S WORST DAY AS YOUR DEFENSE FOR EVERYTHING...ENOUGH!

Say the truth, we invaded Baghdad with sketchy intelligence (which we wouldn't have used to invade anyone else) just so we can set up a Petroleum Republic, which will then allow Halliburton to reconstruct the country and give Texaco and ExxonMobil good deals on oil leases and make them a hell of a lot of money.

And the question remains...would have negotiated a deal with North Korea IF they had oil in their territory.