On the day of Barack Obama's first visit as president to a Muslim nation, to address the parliament of Turkey, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani repeated a criticism of Democrats he made several times throughout his 2008 presidential campaign.
"It's already been two and a half months since President Obama was inaugurated," he said speaking at Liberty University in West Virginia. "Not once has he mentioned Islamic extremism and not once has he uttered the words 'Islamic terrorism.'"
"It is always just 'terrorism' and 'extremism' whenever the subject should naturally come up, but I don't see any Christians blowing up buildings. Do you?" He lifted a hand from the podium and mimed looking intently toward the horizon for Christian terrorists in the distance.
Possessing the second largest army in NATO, after the U.S., Turkey will be essential to maintaining stability in Iraq after American withdrawal. "We don't consider ourselves Christian, Jewish, Muslim," said Obama. "We consider ourselves a nation bound by a set of ideals and values."
Giuliani immediately pounced on the statement, proclaiming, "In the short time our president has been in the White House, surrounded by Ivy League educated academic elites, he has already forgotten we are a Christian nation."
Polling out today shows that although the vast majority back U.S. outreach to Muslim nations, nearly 3 in 10 consider Islam a religion encouraging violence against non-Muslims. Since the end of his presidential campaign, Rudy Giuliani has returned to Giuliani Partners LLC, a management and security consulting business.
[NOTE: This snark may not be suitable for all readers. Statements contained therein have been shifted into the present from Giuliani's primary debate and RNC remarks. Comment writer discretion is advised.]
