Rudy Giuliani: "Behind Giuliani's Tough Talk"

August 23, 2007 -- Just days after The New York Times thoroughly debunked Giuliani's exaggerated claim that he had been to Ground Zero "as often, if not more" than the firefighters and recovery workers, Time magazine has published a major study of Giuliani's record on terrorism and foreign policy, revealing significant shortcomings in his record and exaggerations in his claims.

From changing his story on why he dropped out of the Iraq Study Group, to claiming that he's been "'studying Islamic terrorism' for 30 years" when his record shows little focus on the topic, to alleging that he is a foreign policy expert when in fact he "frequently conflates different threats" and is unable to distinguish between the weapons programs of Iran and North Korea, to failing to prepare New York City for another terrorist attack, the article shows that Giuliani doesn't have much to boast about and he offers just more of the same failed leadership voters have seen over the past six years.

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Read the full article at http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1655262,00.html. Among Time's observations:

Giuliani Has "Great, Gaping Weaknesses." "The evidence also shows great, gaping weaknesses. Giuliani's penchant for secrecy, his tendency to value loyalty over merit and his hyperbolic rhetoric are exactly the kinds of instincts that counterterrorism experts say the U.S. can least afford right now." Time observed the similarity to Bush's arrogance, writing that "Giuliani's limitations are in fact remarkably similar to those of another man who has led the nation into a war without end."

Top GOP, Democratic, Non-Partisan Experts Alike Criticized 9/11 Preparedness and Response. John Farmer Jr., a New Jersey Republican who served as the senior counsel to the 9/11 Commission leading its study of the response said that "To say that he had identified problems and he'd been in office for a while and they hadn't been fixed--that's fair." Farmer says. Jamie Gorelick, a Democratic 9/11 commissioner said that "If you compare the incident command at the Pentagon to the one at the World Trade Center, you will see the difference between life and death," she says. Examining the long-known problems with radios, Time also cited investigation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which said that "If communications were better…more firefighters would have been saved."

Giuliani Claim On Years Of Experience With Islamic Terrorism "Exaggeration." "Giuliani and his aides have said he has been 'studying Islamic terrorism' for 30 years. This is an exaggeration." Time found that he had little real experience while a prosecutor, and that in 80 major speeches from 1993 to 2001, he made only one brief mention of terrorism "in a brief reference to emergency preparedness."

Foreign Policy Assertion "Exceedingly Unlikely." "Giuliani has also claimed he knows more about foreign policy than other candidates, but that's exceedingly unlikely. John McCain spent 22 years as a Navy pilot and five as a prisoner of war and is now the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee in the Senate, where he has served for 20 years. He has been to Iraq six times; Giuliani has never been there."

Missing Iraq Study Group Opportunity To Hear From All The Experts. Giuliani missed the only two substantive Iraq Study Group sessions before being forced out by GOP chair Howard Baker, choosing to give paid speeches instead. Time noted that "the May session Giuliani missed was a master class on Iraq. He would have gotten briefings from General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq; former Secretary of State Colin Powell; former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki; and Douglas Feith, the Pentagon's former No. 3 civilian, among others. All told, says a staffer for the Iraq Study Group, 'they had 40 of the top experts on Iraq brief them for hours. They had access to anyone they wanted.'" Time also revealed Giuliani's revisionist claim that he left the group to avoid a conflict with his electoral ambitions, contradicting his resignation letter citing "previous time commitments," and commission staffers who "say they don't remember that coming up."

"More Confident Than Competent." Citing his sarcastic, uniformed statements about the relative threats of Iran and North Korea, Time wrote that "on the campaign trail, Giuliani's foreign policy comments have sometimes come off more confident than competent."

"Record Of Flawed Judgment On Personnel." Looking at his advisors, Time noted Giuliani's poor track record with his advocacy of Bernie Kerik to be Secretary of Homeland Security and others. "One of the most damning criticisms of Giuliani, however, has been his record of flawed judgment on personnel."

Source: DNC