After Rudy Giuliani's performance in Raleigh today, it's hard to say who's more pathetic - the crowd of Republicans drooling over the hapless ex-mayor or the pandering clown himself. Either way, it's a damn sad commentary on how far the North Carolina Grand Old Party Party of Greed has fallen.
Under the iron-fisted leadership of our own little Karl Rove (Art Pope), the NCPOG has apparently sold out whatever little soul it once had, as it now finds itself sucking up to a guy whose conservative credentials are no more credible than my own, which is to say they are non-existent.
Ryan Beckwith, recently installed as the Under the Dome blogger, has the story.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani emphasized conservative stances on war, health care and education today as he kicked off the Conservative Leadership Conference in Raleigh. The conference, which continues Saturday at the Sheraton Raleigh Capital Center, is sponsored by the John William Pope Civitas Institute, a Raleigh think tank.
First off, calling Civitas a "think tank" is a practice that needs to stop. Or if the N&O insists on continuing to do so, they'll have to start calling BlueNC a think tank too. I can come up with a dozen appropriate labels for this partisan ring of the Puppetshow circus, but "think tank" isn't one of them. Enough already.
Second, what the hell does this mean?
Before an audience of about 450, Giuliani, a Republican candidate for president, attacked recent efforts by Democrats to set a deadline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq. He said he could not recall when "a retreating army" was "forced to print out an exact schedule" on its retreat.
Is Rudolph saying the US Army is in retreat? Sure sounds like it to me. Unless Beckwith got the quote wrong, Giuliani has just joined Harry Reid in declaring that the US has lost Bush's war in Iraq. If he really said this, it would be first time Rudy's lips moved all day without lying.
Giuliani was introduced to the crowd by conservative donor Art Pope, a former state legislator. Pope noted that Giuliani has a record beyond City Hall as a U.S. attorney who prosecuted organized crime.
Too bad Pope forgot to mention another little aspect of Rudy's record: a long-standing business relationship with an unadulterated crook. Of course, that little faux pas on Rudy's part shouldn't bother the Puppetmaster, since both men seem to have few scruples when it comes to following the intent of the law. To my knowledge.
If there were any true conservatives left in North Carolina, you can be sure they aren't in attendance at the Civitas brothel this weekend.