Former NYC Emergency Prep Chief Slams Giuliani

Without his aura of 9/11 heroism (though it remains unclear to me what he did to deserve that aura), Rudy Giuliani wouldn't be a frontrunner for dogcatcher.  So it's a little bit of a blow to have his former emergency management director saying this:

"Rudy would make a terrible president and that is why I am speaking now," Mr Hauer told The Sunday Telegraph. "He's a control freak who micro-manages decision, he has a confrontational character trait and picks fights just to score points. He is the last thing this country needs as president right now."

He specifically cites Giuliani's insistence on having the city's emergency command center within walking distance of City Hall (which put it in WTC 7, which led to it being useless when an actual attack happened), as well as other failings extensively detailed in Wayne Barrett and Dan Collins' book Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11, which I reviewed last month.

He also chimes in on the question of Giuliani's wife's role in government.

And he was dismissive of Mr Giuliani's assertion that Judith Nathan - a former nurse who was then Mr Giuliani's girlfriend and is now his third wife - had co-ordinated the Family Assistance Centre relief operation after September 11.

"Rudy told me to find a role for Judy. She came along to some meetings and her heart was in the right place, but it's baloney to suggest she ran the centre. And now he says he would take her advice on chemical and biological terrorism? Give me a break."

(Note: Yes, according to the article, Hauer is a Democrat.  But a Democrat so respected as an authority on emergency preparedness that in 2002 the Bush administration chose him over all the horse lawyers and Regent University grads to work on preparedness for WMD attacks.)

(h/t ThinkProgress)

Update: And in case anyone wants to try and make this a case of Giuliani and Hauer each covering their own asses by blaming the other for the location of the command center in WTC 7, one of them has documentation.  New York magazine:

"I thought for a number of reasons that Brooklyn was the better location," says Hauer. He provided New York with a copy of his February 1996 memo to First Deputy Mayor Peter Powers recommending the Metro Tech facility in Brooklyn as his preferred site for the command center. "The building is secure and not as visible a target as buildings in Lower Manhattan," the memo says.

•  I wonder .. are the Dems gonna wait to unload ..

  on Rudy, if and until he wins the nomination? .. It seems that way

  by Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:44:48 PM PDT

  •  ...And the MSM yawns. Then puckers for Rudy again

    by Intercaust on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:46:30 PM PDT

    •  Kissy Face Giuliani

      

      Set phasers to hurl.

      by Magnifico on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:08:29 PM PDT

      •  My eyes! My eyes! n/t

        by litigatormom on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:13:14 PM PDT

      •  damn, there goes dinner. n/t

        by left my heart on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:51:58 PM PDT

      •  ARE YOU INSANE?!?

        I'm about to have dnner now! How can I possibly eat now with that image in my head?!?

        by TLS66 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:16:05 PM PDT

      •  Is that a lobster on his back? n/t

        by mike101 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:33:27 PM PDT

        •  or is he just glad to see you?

          beurk.

          by sayitaintso on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 06:22:20 PM PDT

    •  Foreign News

      This story we're discussing is, in fact, published in the London Telegraph:

      By Philip Sherwell in New York, Sunday [London] Telegraph

      What possible excuse could the NY Times have for not running that story? Following up would be the minimum I expect from a NY paper, not to mention the national paper of record.

      Has the NY Times done it? When will they?

      by DocGonzo on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:13:12 PM PDT

  •  I think we're too busy

    unloading on each other's candidates at the moment.

    Here's hoping we get around to the Republicans at some point.  (And that they're not listening too hard to all the great talking points we've come up with about why each of the Democratic contenders suck.)

    Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go watch Dynasty.

    by Clues on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:49:04 PM PDT

    •  Forget candidates, FISA...

      I for one will not forget FISA.  

      FISA will figure into all my decisionmaking about which Ds to support.

      by maxschell on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:23:27 PM PDT

      •  me too n/t

        by betson08 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:22:58 PM PDT

      •  FISA

        We're already screwed.

        by Olielly recruit on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 04:12:08 AM PDT

  •  I think the Democrats...

    ...are quite content to let the Republicans from their famous circular firing squad formation in this case!

    by Randall Sherman on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:49:58 PM PDT

  •  They're keeping their powder dry

    until after his inauguration.

    Then, boy, are they ever gonna unload on him with a strongly-worded letter. Watch out! Will that ever create a brief, mildly-awkward moment! Wow!

    Now, if we were Republicans, Karl Rove would go after Rudy's strength--his 9-11 aura. Pick one aspect, like "flip-flopper," and slam it home again and again. When Karl was done, voters would not know the difference between Rudy and bin Laden.

    Democrats might do that.

    And storm clouds might also start raining down Lafite Rothschild, 1986, too.

    Either one is equally likely.

    by Smallbottle on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:51:34 PM PDT

    •  I'll bet they'll even use *italics*!!!

      by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:53:26 PM PDT

      •  Oooooo!

        I got a chill!

        by Smallbottle on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:55:53 PM PDT

      •  nooooooooooooooooo - Rothchild is french

        wine, not italic wine!  ;0

        by left my heart on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:55:02 PM PDT

    •  You forgot...

      After sending the letter, the MSM would go hyperbolic on "showing disrespect for the office."  Then the Dems would recant and apologize.

      by RichM on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:03:55 PM PDT

      •  And cry - in public

        by semiot on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:06:32 PM PDT

        •  Please don't bring up Mr. Durbin

          damn that was embarassing.

          by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:14:24 PM PDT

          •  More embarassing

            Will be Joe's appearance on Hannity calling the letter "sadly divisive."

            by Smallbottle on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:43:39 PM PDT

    •  Don't forget the apology

      Within hours of sending that letter, the Dems will be publicly apologizing for sending it.

      And who would be stupid enough to put the Emergency Preparedness Office in the same office complex that had been bombed by terrorists just a few years before?

      Oh right. Ru-deeeee!

      by Paul in Berkeley on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:20:07 PM PDT

  •  Rude E. Julie Annie

    Forget about his (current) wife's gold-digging.

    Forget about the fact that he told his wife he wanted a divorce via press conference, or tried to move his mistress into the Mayor's official residence while his wife and kids were still living there.

    Forget the revisionist history about how Rude E. and Judi (the name on her birth certificate, not Judith) met, or what they talked about.

    Forget about the fact that his kids would rather play gold (Andrew) or support Obama (Caroline) than work for their father.

    Forget Rude E's attempt to distract from his pro-abortion rights record by extolling the virtues of adoption and strict constructionist judges.

    The Julie Annie campaign's raison d'etre -- that he is uniquely qualified to fight terror because he was mayor of NYC on 9/11 -- defies the actual facts:

    • Rude E. ignored complaints after the 1993 WTC bombing that firefighters and police radios were incompatible and that as a result emergency responders could not communicate effectively with each other.  Eight years after the first attack on the WTC, the communications problems had not been fixed, and hundreds of firefighters died because they did not hear the order to evacuate the towers;
    • Rude E. not put his emergency command center in a building that was part of the WTC complex, a proven terror target, but chose a building that sat atop huge gas tanks and a major telecommunications switch;
    • Rude E.'s post-attack decisive air of candor during press conferences was only inspiring because the President in the United States was missing in action for several days;
    • Rude E. helped perpetuate the Administration lie that the air at and near Ground Zero was safe -- a lie about which I, as someone who works a few blocks from Ground Zero, am especially appreciative;
    • Rude E. attended lots of firefighters' and police officers' funerals, but terminated the firefighters' efforts to recover their "brothers'" remains within a short time after the attacks, consigning countless remains to a Staten Island garbage dump, where firefighters continued to search for (and find) them; and
    • Rude E., basking in the glow of the post-traumatic stress disorder-induced acclaim for his post-9/11 performance, actually suggested that his term -- due to expire on December 31, 2001 -- be extended so that he continue his glorious leadership.  Negative reaction to this suggestion led to him quickly dropping the idea, and the mayoral elections (delayed by the attacks, as 9/11 was supposed to be primary day) were rescheduled and held.  Rude E.'s suggest did have the salutary effect of break the fever of PTSD-induced Rudy worship among New Yorkers.

    This is the man who would be president.  He will continue the well-established tradition of ignoring advice he doesn't like, doing what he wants to do, and trying to expand and extend his power as much and for as long as possible.

    Spread the word.

    by litigatormom on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:33:34 PM PDT

    •  Oh, and I almost forgot this important

      additional problem for the tough, anti-terrorist leadership of Rude E. Julie Annie:

      • two words -- Benard Kerik.  

      Former chauffeur;

      NYPD commissioner (most famous accomplishment: boinking his publisher, Judith Regan, in an apartment near Ground Zero that was leased so that recovery workers could rest)

      acceptor of bribes (construction work on his personal residence provided by mobsters)

      Joolie Annie business partner

      Julie Annie recommended consultant to the nascent Iraq security forces (stayed for two months, did nothing but complain to other Americans about what a hell hole it was)

      Julie Annie recommended nominee for Homeland Security Secretary; nomination withdrawn after bribery investigation became public.

      by litigatormom on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:39:39 PM PDT

    •  You are so right.

      If it weren't for this,

      Rude E.'s post-attack decisive air of candor during press conferences was only inspiring because the President in the United States was missing in action for several days;

      we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

      by Desert Rose on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:07:29 PM PDT

    •  One hundred 4s for you

      9-11 should be a stinging indictment of Guiliani's failure to protect New York.

      If there was one damn sure target in this country NYC was it.  The first bombing was a big red calling card and yet he didn't do what needed to be done to prepare for the next attack.

      He is good at photo ops but was a failure at what mattered most.

      by trillian on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:48:45 PM PDT

  •  Keeping Their Powder Dry...

    Don't have much faith in Dems challenging Giuliani on his 9/11 "performance".

    by frandor55 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:42:29 PM PDT

•  Hear, Hear.

  Giulianis is not well thought of in NY.  In fact, we NYers think he is a disaster.

  He is authoritarian as all hell -- think tried to use 9-11 as an excuse to cancel elections and stay on as mayor past his term.

  He left us a fiscal catastrophe.  Huge deficits as far as the eye could see.

  And he's a complete flake when it comes to his personal life.

  by Bartimaeus Blue on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:45:05 PM PDT

  •  You said it!

    He was a horror show.  What a relief Bloomie was, by comparison.  (Although my favorite, in my twenty years in the city -- and I still miss it -- was Ed Koch.  What a perfect New York character.)

    by Youffraita on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:50:34 PM PDT

    •  Koch

      has more or less become NY's Zell Miller.

      by TLS66 on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 07:00:55 AM PDT

  •  Especially on the authoritarian part

    Giuliani has at times been called a fascist at best and other things at worst. His handling of the police force during the 1990s left a lot to be desired.

    by PsiFighter37 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:50:49 PM PDT

    •  Oh, a fascist without doubt

      Don't actually post diaries much, but I have commented on this, here and elsewhere.  Rudy as president would be Shrubbie on steroids.  He's horrible, and he's way more competent than our current nut job.  (Not saying much, I know.)

      by Youffraita on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:54:00 PM PDT

      •  No Doubt that Rudy's Role Model is Mussolini

        Without the trains running on time.  

        He's an absolute fascist.  And I say that very, very advisedly.

        by Bartimaeus Blue on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:01:15 PM PDT

    •  fascist? Ru-DY? nah...watch the video for Bush

      redux....

      by ezdidit on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:48:42 PM PDT

    •  He created a police state in NYC

      True, it needed some sprucing up crime-wise, but too much of a good thing....

      He got things done, but at a terrible price.

      I lived there from 1978-1985 and worked there until 1999. It was a safer place, but the edge was gone.

      Even in his US Attorney days, he wouldn't allow anyone in his office to appear on camera. He was a glory-grabber even back then.

      His halo effect still amazes me. I was across the street in '93 when the first bomb hit. They didn't learn a bloody thing from that day.

      His hand is too heavy for the delicate job ahead.

      by Trim Your Bush on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 06:08:35 PM PDT

  •  And remember how every minority in the city

    was subjected to being harassed by the cops. NYC had "walking while black" under Guiliani.

    And then he couldn't let museums alone either.

    He's a grade A horse's and I doubt he'll be very viable on the national level, even if the Rethugs pick 'em has their candidate.

    by betson08 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:25:50 PM PDT

    •  Ah yes, the turd sculpture

      Religion over freedom... that was Rudy.

      He demonized every minority in the name of restoring order.

      by Trim Your Bush on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 06:10:25 PM PDT

•  Emergency command center

  That was some genius of Giuliani to put the city's emergency command center on the 23rd floor of a building (WTC Tower 7) right near an area that had been previously attacked by Al Qaeda.

  by jfern on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:45:24 PM PDT

  •  Not only that

    7 WTC sat atop several huge gas tanks (which contributed to the building's collapse in the late afternoon of 9/11) as well as a major telecommunications switch, which disrupted phone calls to and from certain parts of NYC for over a week.

    by litigatormom on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:42:40 PM PDT

  •  Emergency Command Center A Giuliani Love Nest?

    One wonders if the real reason Giuliani wanted the ECC within walking distance of City hall was to have a "Kerik" style shack-up suite.

    by frandor55 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:47:41 PM PDT

  •  who sez you can't walk from City Hall to Brooklyn

    I did it with my dad when I was 4.
    And plenty of times since then.

    Making the band, anyone?

    by sayitaintso on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 06:26:46 PM PDT

•  Hauer's presence...

  ...probably prevented a bigger catastrophe.

  Not that any one man could out-catastrophe Rudy...

  by JeffW on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:46:06 PM PDT

•  this sort of thing is exactly

  what is needed with Rudy "The Ferret" Giuliani: attacking him in the area of his perceived greatest strength, 9/11. It's a Rovian tactic, sure, but Rove has proved, again and again, that it works. And, unlike attacks launched by Rove--such as against Kerry's war service, which consisted of nothing but lies--9/11-related attacks against the Ferret are all true.

  by blueness on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:47:06 PM PDT

  •  I would only change "perceived"

    to "falsely projected."

    by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:57:10 PM PDT

  •  Is their truth an advantage or disadvantage?

    One must never assume that real world rules apply to Bizarro World 2007.

    by sagra on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:26:34 PM PDT

    •  Truth or falsiry may not matter as

      much as having a podium with with to broadcast.

      Unless someone else has an equal or louder voice to contradict your words, it seems to be enough just to assert.

      by mike101 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:49:33 PM PDT

•  There more and more...

  we learn about Giuliani, the more and more he looks like Nixon's long lost son...

  by michael1104 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:47:56 PM PDT

  •  Or maybe

    J Edgar Hoover's?

    by Clues on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:50:16 PM PDT

    •  how about

      Nixon and Hoover's love child?

      by michael1104 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:52:56 PM PDT

      •  Arrgh!

        Brain bleach! Brain bleach!

        by JeffW on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:00:47 PM PDT

        •  Bwaaaahahahaha!

          Kill that vile image!

          by Involuntary Exile on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:15:37 PM PDT

      •  Mother Mary comes to me . . .

        What Johnson said about Hoover, and why he didn't just fire him: "I'd rather have him pissin' outside the tent than inside the tent."

        Maybe that is the genius of Alberto Gonzales - he knows where to piss, even if he doesn't know how.

        Giuliani? He'd piss up a rope, if it hurt somebody - preferably somebody of the brown persuasion.

        by semiot on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:13:08 PM PDT

•  "what he did to deserve that aura"

  He stayed calm.  That alone has some value; it helps everyone else stay calm if a leader is seen to be calm in the face of being acutely aware of the situation.

  If the leader seems to be off fiddling or playing a guitar or showing in some other way that his head is wedged someplace the sun doesn't shine, the leader's calm attitude adds insult to injury.

  by david78209 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:49:08 PM PDT

  •  What did he do?

    He got in front of a camera.  When the nation was looking for leadership, Dubya was on a plane flying from anywhere that looked like trouble.  Rudy was in front of a camera looking calm and in charge.  That was a powerful image.

    by RichM on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:06:05 PM PDT

    •  False front...

      ...the new standard for Republican candidates!

      by JeffW on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:07:32 PM PDT

    •  We are the new Republican leaders -

      we remain calm as the shit hits the fan - and we stand behind the fan - and denounce the Democrat wind.

      by semiot on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:16:50 PM PDT

    •  Yeah, he walked aimlessly

      around lower Manhattan, looking for someplace safe to set up his "command center". HE had no clue as to what happened or even as to what was going to happen because most communications, Like cell phones had failed and police and fire radios did not communicate with with other.

      by TheMomCat on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:26:36 PM PDT

  •  When the going got tough, Rudy ran away

    He made a great photo opportunity afterwards, but when WTC was falling, Rudy was running away - not leading.

    Never forget.

    by CA Libertarian on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:12:00 PM PDT

  •  Maybe that's true in NYC,

    but the last thing in the world I was doing on 9/11 was paying attention to that dipshit.

    by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:17:35 PM PDT

  •  So what?

    Rudy walked around with dust on his head.  Meanwhile, the firefighters......

    by MKS on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:30:29 PM PDT

  •  Rudy apologists

    need not apply

    by markymarx on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:34:35 PM PDT

•  No, but he could force a runoff

  Without his aura of 9/11 heroism (though it remains unclear to me what he did to deserve that aura), Rudy Giuliani wouldn't be a frontrunner for dogcatcher.

  by muledriver on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:49:10 PM PDT

•  Sounds like rudy needs a promotion

  This story makes more sense all of the time.

  by Dr Colossus on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:49:57 PM PDT

•  Bush appointment

  I don't think it is any great credential to have been appointed by Bush to anything.

  It seems more like a badge of incompetence.

  by noble experiment on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:50:01 PM PDT

•  Printed in a UK newspaper

  and not one news article about it here.

  Isn't it news that one of the front runners for the GOP's nomination for POTUS former employees says he isn't fit to be president?

  by CTLiberal on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:50:18 PM PDT

  •  Should be.

    But it doesn't fit the narrative.

    by mike101 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:52:49 PM PDT

•  Ahh, brusque candor and brutal humor

  combined in one side-splitting blockquote.

  It'll probably be on CNN and in the WaPo. Not.

  by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:52:14 PM PDT

•  Bwahahahahaha!

  Everyone who actually knows Rudy knows what a fraud he is.

  When will the MSM start clobbering this guy with his actual record instead of fawning over the impressive way he walked around and pointed on 9/11?

  by GTPinNJ on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:52:44 PM PDT

  •  Maybe when he asks for a 3rd term

    by jfern on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:53:32 PM PDT

    •  He wouldn't be asking. n/t

      by GTPinNJ on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:54:18 PM PDT

      •  Well, he did ask

        To get his 2nd term as mayor lengthened

        by jfern on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:56:56 PM PDT

        •  I suspect

          that if he got to that point, he would be taking steps to make it happen & wouldn't even bother asking.

          by GTPinNJ on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:58:08 PM PDT

  •  They won't

    The GOP powers that be, who get woodys anytime they catch a whiff of faux machismo knowing how it appeals to the base, want Rudy as a back up in case their main dreamboy, Frederick of Hollywood, gets cold feet or turns out to otherwise be unsuitable.

    Mitt is their third choice  - a little too effeminate and that Mormon thing will be a problem in the South.

    by trillian on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 05:55:13 PM PDT

•  Who'll be Rudy's Veep?

  Rudy fits the description of current R's pretty snugly.  He hasn't done anything of significance successfully.  His main campaign point, good judgement and strength on terrorism is bogus.  

  Due to his vast incompetence the Emergence Response Center in NYC was in the twin towers, clearly genius in its foresight. Most of the organizations of first responders becomes apoplectic at idea of a Giuliani candidacy.

  His character judgement is also Republican flawless.  His best recommendation is Bernie Kerik.  Maybe Kerik can be his VP if Kerik is not in jail, or under indictment.

  And Rudy is a family values poster boy. Maybe Newt should be in the VP slot.

  It boggles the mind.

  by AllanTBG on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:52:48 PM PDT

  •  It has to be a yes-man or a quayle-clone

    No way he would stand having someone else in the loop who has any ideas of their own.

    by Dr Colossus on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:54:52 PM PDT

    •  Romney would be perfect

      He'd just spend eight years translating Rudy's speeches into PowerPoint.

      by Smallbottle on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:57:22 PM PDT

      •  For some reason that seems

        entirely logical. Weird.

        by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:01:55 PM PDT

        •  Actually, at the Republican debate

          Romney refused to go after Giuliani, actually backing off his earlier attacks!

          He was already firing up the laptop.

          by Smallbottle on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:55:04 PM PDT

      •  OOH NOOO

        Mitt & Rudy could not be further apart inpolitical views!

        by SABCT on Sat Aug 11, 2007 at 09:26:52 PM PDT

  •  Cheney

    In your heart, you know it's true.

    by DocGonzo on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:56:27 PM PDT

  •  Giuliani as U.S. Attorney

    He hasn't done anything of significance successfully.

    During the 80's Rudy was a U.S. Attorney who became prominent by obtaining convicions againt notorious white-collar criminals such as Boesky and Milken.

    Now that he's a GOP politician, you don't hear much about how he'd deal with financial crimes, such as the biggest one ever: the Iraq invasion and occupation ($Billions in missing reconstruction funds, for example).  Not even anything about dealing with Enron situations.  To be a GOoPer is to be a sellout.

    by Greasy Grant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:12:42 PM PDT

    •  Once again, Rude E. can have both

      sides of the argument.  Boesky and Millken settled. Many of Rude E's high profile convictions were overturned on appeal due to prosecutorial overreaching.

      by litigatormom on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:44:36 PM PDT

      •  Did those convictions change much?

        Except for seeing Milken's real hair?

        Except for shutting down Drexel?

        Insider trading is still rife.

        Milken is raising funds for cancer.

        by Trim Your Bush on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 06:18:24 PM PDT

  •  JEB

    by RF on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:21:51 PM PDT

•  Harpers on Giuliani

  This week's Harpers magazine has a Giuliani cover feature: an essay on how Giuliani is "A Fate Worse Than Bush". The online version is only thumbnails, except for subscribers. But it's worth a read on paper. The essay is comprehensive of Giuliani's career, while focused, and is largely analysis of Giuliani's unearned "hero" status. Including his failures as "9/11 Mayor".

  I hope more of the many NYC people who worked with Giuliani enough to see the havoc he wreaked, the essential opportunities for leadership and rebuilding he squandered, will go public for the next year or more it will take to save us from seeing Giuliani inaugurated in 2009.

  by DocGonzo on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 02:53:30 PM PDT

  •  I'm reading that now

    Kevin Baker makes short work of Rudy's 9-11 aura, pointing out that Giuliani's handling of 9-11, appart from the one shining gracenote moment in front of the cameras,  was, in Baker's words, "largely a debacle".

    In addition to the poor coordination and communication equipment for firefighters and police, failing to protect workers digging out Ground Zero and other failings both before and after the attack, Baker reminds us that the emergency management station at 7 World Trade was situtated on top of over 109K gallons of oil in a Con Ed substation and the command bunker added another unprotected 6K gallon fuel tank above the mezzanine, making it all highly, er flammable, in an emergency.

    Most of the article is about the rest of Rudy's reign. Reading through now. Good, though scary reading.

    by DemocracyLover in NYC on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:11:18 PM PDT

    •  The Devil in Hell

      Giuliani is as comfortable in a bombed NYC as is the devil relaxing in hell.

      If Americans want more of a calm Giuliani amidst catastrophic destruction, all they have to do is vote for Giuliani. And probably over 50M of them will.

      by DocGonzo on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:16:49 PM PDT

      •  sad to say I fear this may be true n/t

        by DemocracyLover in NYC on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:19:31 PM PDT

  •  And once Rudy is cut down to size...

    would to gawd some of the same sharp truth could be used to undercut the pile of horseshit that increased the stature of George W. Bush on 9/11.

    by Bugsby on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:11:48 PM PDT

•  if only it would stick.

  dumb americans' treasured myths of "that day" include White Knight Rudy riding to the rescue to soothe a quivering, gelatinous nation. attacking this fraud's "strength" is synonymous with attacking the courage and intrepid nature of every piece of SUV-drivin', yellow-ribbon-sportin', furriner-hatin', flag-wavin', fox news watchin' lump of american dogshit to ever stalk into a voting booth and pull a lever for the republican slate.

  like reagan, rudy is teflonized dogshit. it's gonna be damn hard to cut through the non-stick veneer to the stink beneath, as so many morons' self-images are innately tied to his; for every fusillade fired at his bullshit ass, there are a thousand morons ready to patch and polish the damage.

  the revelation that giuliani sacrificed infants to Cthulhu (as I rather suspect he does) would scarcely dim the glow. as a population, we seem to like our leaders to be hollow, false, and corrupt to the core so that we might better see ourselves reflected in them.

  by RabidNation on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:00:49 PM PDT

  •  Rec for the Cthulhu reference

    plus this:

    like reagan, rudy is teflonized dogshit

    by semiot on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:22:39 PM PDT

  •  For that reason

    rudy is teflonized dogshit. it's gonna be damn hard to cut through the non-stick veneer to the stink beneath

    We need buzzwords {Mr. Motorola, Bernard Kerik), talking points,pictures (Rudy in drag).  In "Grand Illusion" the description of the command center is very vivid.  Pictures of the luxuries in the center would be nice along with a story about it.

    by myrealname on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 07:00:12 PM PDT

•  I want Guliani to win for the Pugs.

  I've been wanting that for so long. I read another article today, I think from Vanity Fair, that said that he is absolutely wacky, and manic, and has to be the complete center of attention at all times.  

  I think our nominee could cause him to explode in a very ugly way if just a little psychology is used to identify his triggers which seem to be numerous.  And then there are the scandals.  And the video with him in women's clothing.  And the mistress(es), and the fact that his wife had to go to court to keep his mistress away from her when she was living in the Mayors mansion.  Then there is this that demonstrates his poor decision making.  His careful attendance to the first responders, not, is another thing that is against him.  And then there is his family.  I read today that his daughter, who is 17 is supporting OBama, while his son says he doesn't share his fathers values and all the good values he learned, he learned from his mother.

  Not to mention that he is from New York.  What will all those southern repugs think about that?

  Oh please, dear dog, please let him win.

  by hopscotch1997 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:01:18 PM PDT

  •  Yes.

    Let him be nominated, then carve him up!

    by kitebro on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:07:23 PM PDT

    •  After that, we can fry him in a pan, and then

      feed him to the dogs.  Yum.

      by hopscotch1997 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:09:28 PM PDT

  •  Imagine Guiliani at the debate

    in the Fall of '08, losing his temper at Gore, who stands cool as a cucumber.

    by TLS66 on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 07:08:15 AM PDT

•  Rudy is ripe for Swiftboating....

  And unlike the dirtbags who went after Kerry, NYC Firefighters and Emergency Responders will be telling the truth.

  by Bush Bites on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:01:36 PM PDT

  •  This is true, but in Classical Swiftboating

    truth is an obstacle, not an aid.

    by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:03:53 PM PDT

    •  Ha! This is a variation....

      Maybe it should be called "Truthboating"

      by Bush Bites on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:05:03 PM PDT

      •  "Swift-truthing"?

        by Bush Bites on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:05:45 PM PDT

        •  Harry S. Truman had a phrase for it:

          "Giving Him Hell."  You just tell the truth, and he'll think it's hell.

          by Greasy Grant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:15:23 PM PDT

•  Hauer is a Radical Liberal Leftist

  He's extreme, radical, liberal and left.  He's radical, left liberal and extreme.  He is far-left, extreme radical, and liberal extreme far.

  I will repeat these phrases over and over.

  What do I base them on?

  Nothing.

  Just getting the jump on O'Reilly, Hannity and the rest of the fact-free wingnut propaganda wordsmiths polluting our media on a daily basis.

  by WinSmith on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:01:40 PM PDT

  •  the Real Fear Factor::

    by ezdidit on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:47:07 PM PDT

•  Some blogger - I don't remember who it was,

  it could have been Digby or Jane Hamshire, or one of the other brilliant wags I regularly read - said of the Giuliani campaign that it is an example, the first in our history, of one totally devoid of substance and based purely on the attitude of the candidate.

  Shoot, a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with that strategy.

  by semiot on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:03:07 PM PDT

  •  Ah, Dr. Strangelove...

    Nicely played!

    by Bugsby on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:05:16 PM PDT

  •  Reagan may countermand that thesis, though n/t

    by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:05:28 PM PDT

•  Talk about mythbusters...

  Rudy must rue the day he decided to run for President. It's not just NYC's dirty little secret anymore, folks are wising up from sea to shining sea: America's mayor is a frigging fraud.

  by Bugsby on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:03:31 PM PDT

  •  Well, then...

    ...who ya gonna call?

    by JeffW on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:05:43 PM PDT

    •  Heh!

      by Bugsby on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:12:55 PM PDT

      •  No, really...

        ...who ya gonna call?

        by JeffW on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:33:15 PM PDT

  •  I have come to despise "America's Mayor"

    almost as much as the couplet, "the Homeland."

    by revenant on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:07:07 PM PDT

•  Heckuva Job Hauer

  a Democrat so respected as an authority on emergency preparedness that in 2002 the Bush administration chose him over all the horse lawyers and Regent University grads to work on preparedness for WMD attacks
  [...]
  "The [Brooklyn] building is secure and not as visible a target as buildings in Lower Manhattan," the [Hauer] memo says.
  

  
  I nominate Hauer for FEMA Chief. Or whoever he nominates.

  Mainly because he's the only Bush counterterroism/WMD official who clearly knows what makes terror targets "high value" or likely: they look terrifying on TV when attacked. Adhering to that ranking could completely transform the Terror War into something we could "win" in the foreseeable future.

  by DocGonzo on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:06:08 PM PDT

•  Giuliani is just a Bush clone

  Arrogant, swaggering, corrupt, made a fortune off of political connections, willing to take all the credit he can, willing to blame somebody else for everything else, doesn't give a crap about U.S. national security.

  It's no surprise the Republicans love this guy - they never learn.

  by CA Libertarian on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:08:56 PM PDT

•  This is sort of a cheap shot:

  He specifically cites Giuliani's insistence on having the city's emergency command center within walking distance of City Hall (which put it in WTC 7, which led to it being useless when an actual attack happened)

  If the Empire State Bldg had been the traget, then the ECC would have been well situated in WTC-7. Or if Yankee Stadium had been attacked, likewise.

  I understand that the WTC had already been a target, and likely would be targeted again. But proximity to City Hall is actually a good thing, especially if travel were restricted to on foot.

  In any case, I do agree that Rudy will make a fine dictator for our country.

  by Spud1 on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:09:00 PM PDT

  •  practically everyone agreed

    Brooklyn was the safest place to build the emergency center, everyone but Rudy that is...

    does this nation really need another arrogant idiot as president..wasnt 8 years of bush ENOUGH, even for republicans?

    by KnotIookin on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:45:06 PM PDT

  •  Not a cheap shot

    Giuliani did this for his own convenience. Very few places in Manhattan would make a good command center, but most certainly not WTC nor the Empire State Building area in mid-town. Perhaps higher up in Manhattan, even the Upper West Side, but WTC after a previous terrorist attack? No one in their right mind. Give me a break!

    by RevJoe on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 04:00:49 PM PDT

    •  Actually

      I think 7 WTC was selected more for the prestige value than the convenience. There could have been buildings near City Hall that were less of a target...maybe in Chinatown.

      by TLS66 on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 07:13:50 AM PDT

  •  WTC had already been attacked once.... n/t

    by sagesource on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 12:30:25 AM PDT

    •  As I said n/t

      by Spud1 on Tue Aug 07, 2007 at 03:51:30 AM PDT

•  sniff, sniff, sniff

  Does anyone else realize something.  If the ghoulishs headquarters were in building 7. Then why did building 7 fall when the plane was no  where near it..

  by bayside on Mon Aug 06, 2007 at 03:11:45 PM PDT

  •  OT, why wtc 7 fell

    The plane was near it. Same complex of building. WTC 7....It was hit on its non-fireproofed roof by giant chunks of falling flaming WTC which penetrated to lower floors.

    WTC 7 was made of ticky-tacky in that it was built on spec with minimum material..........Also, hush-