Please Kneecap Rudy

by Steve

Both Obama and Hillary have responded to Giuliani’s smear from yesterday. First, Obama gives us the "shouldn’t we pull together" response:

“Rudy Giuliani today has taken the politics of fear to a new low and I believe Americans are ready to reject those kind of politics. 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. I think we should focus on strengthening our intelligence, working with local authorities and doing all the things we haven't yet done to keep Americans safe. The threat we face is real, and deserves better than to be the punchline of another political attack."

And then Hillary counterpunches a little harder:

"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."

I would have gone even harder at Giuliani, to kneecap the little prick right out of the gate so that he would know from this point on that he’ll pay an embarrassing price for his smears. How?

Try this:

"Instead of telling us how he will unite this country to protect our communities and lead a real war against terrorists, Mr. Giuliani mimics the “fear and smear” approach that has left us unsafe at home and abroad. In doing so, he directs our attention away from his own record of negligence as “America’s mayor”, specifically why he left his own firefighters and emergency responders vulnerable on 9/11.

Before Mr. Giuliani does any more fear-mongering, he should be honest with the American people about not only his own record, but that of his party. It wasn’’t the Democrats who were caught flat-footed on 9/11. And it hasn’t been the Democrats who have ignored real homeland security needs here at home while engaging in wars of choice overseas. If Mr. Giuliani really wants to engage in finger-pointing, perhaps he'll explain to America why a Republican administration enabled by a rubber-stamping GOP congress has allowed Osama Bin Laden to escape several times and run free to this day. All the fear-mongering in the world doesn’t absolve Mr. Giuliani or his party of their negligence in fighting terrorism; it only gives us more of the same “blame someone else” rhetoric we have suffered through these last six years, making it clear that Mr. Giuliani cannot bring this country together, and has no interest in doing so."

Perhaps Obama and Hillary will do better next time.