Video- Doocy issues correction on Giuliani's false claim that Obama never said "war" during SOTU

Yeah, that was the only thing that was incorrect.

Scott Brown Voted Against Giving Help To 9/11 Recovery Workers

By GottaLaff

The Rushpublics like memes so much, let's give this one a go:

One month after the September 11th attacks, Scott Brown was one of only three Massachusetts State Representatives to vote against a bill to provide financial assistance to Red Cross workers who had volunteered with 9/11 recovery efforts, we’ve learned.

The Brown campaign acknowledged the vote to us, claiming the measure would have taxed already-strained state finances. [...]

DSCC spokesman Eric Schultz responds:

“On a day with Scott Brown bringing in Rudy Giuliani, he ought to give the people of Massachusetts an explanation as to why he voted against relief for 9/11 workers. We knew Scott Brown was a shill for Wall Street and corporate interests, but I cannot imagine what excuse he comes up with for this vote. He ought to be ashamed of himself and he ought to apologize to the Mayor of New York.”

How's that Noun, Verb, 9/11 thing going for you now, Rudy? Bringing Giuliani in to slam Coakley on terrorism should be enough to disqualify Brown from holding office. Bringing him on anything should prove Scotty's mental incompetence.

So should this lie about Democratic health care reform limiting mammograms and Pap tests.

Meme all that, okay Dems?

It should not be a close race. Coakley better pull this one out.

The Brainwashing of America: Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

My very caring, impassioned 72-year-old Twitter pal, who goes by the name 42bkdodgr, would like to share his feelings about the propaganda and lies being spread about BushCo v. the Obama administration as it pertains to the so-called "War on Terrorism". I am more than happy to oblige.

But first, a personal note from 42bkdodgr:

Many of you may wonder why I chose to use the “ 72 year old friend” as the introduction to my Special Comments. I selected the moniker so readers could see that from my age and life experiences I give a different perspective to the issues of today.

Now for his Special Comment:

The Brainwashing of America

For the last year or so we have been bombarded by the likes of Peggy Noonan, Dick Cheney, Ron Christie, Rudy Giuliani, Ari Fleischer and many other prominent Republicans saying “ Bush kept us safe”.

Hearing that statement being made so many times I began to believe, the Bush/Cheney administration began on September 12, 2001 and the country had no President for the first eight months of the year. I guess subsequent events like the anthrax attack and the shoe bomber attempt to blow up an airplane aren’t dates you will find in a Republicans calendar.

But now the Republicans have started a more insidious program.

In the past couple of weeks we have read, heard and/or seen Republican strategist Mary Matalin, former Bush Press Secretary Dana Perino, Congressman Kevin McCarthy, and again Rudy Giuliani say that 9/11 didn’t happen under President Bush’s watch.

--Mary Matalin on CNN said “I was there, we inherited a recession from President Clinton, and we inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation’s history”

--Dana Perino FOX News analyst said "we did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush’s term”

--Congressman McCarthy on Hardball said “the 9/11 attack, I think it was a built up problem that you saw didn’t have the intelligence. And I think, to build an intelligence, you have to go much further back to find it was a lack thereof.”

In effect Congressman McCarthy is blaming the Clinton Administration for the 9/11 attack. He seems to forget the August 6, 2001 President’s Daily Briefing, that Bin Laden was determined to strike the U.S., or the warning given by counterterrorism coordinator Richard Clarke about an al-Qaeda threat.

--Rudy Giuliani on Good Morning America said “we had no domestic attacks under Bush. We had one under Obama.”

In some cases, the person making these inaccurate statements was challenged by the interviewer about their remarks, while others just let it slip by.

I don’t think it's any coincidence that well-known Republicans are making these outlandish statements. I believe this is a concerted effort by Republicans to brainwash the American people, and so far the main stream media (MSM) has yet to connect the dots as to what is going on.

The Republican Party is trying its best to rewrite history and have the American people believe the 9/11 terrorist attack was a non-existent event during the Bush Administration. Are we living in an Alice in Wonderland world?

It is the responsibility of the MSM to rebuke any Republican or political commentator who makes either remark, and if they don’t, then it's our responsibility as citizens to make the MSM own up to their responsibilities.

The reason I say we and the media have this responsibility is because we don’t want the propaganda theory of ‘if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually become to believe it‘ (Joseph Goebbels) to become a reality.

Many thanks again for another interesting, relevant piece, 42bkdodgr. You often say what many of us are thinking and feeling, and we thank you for your unique perspective.

VIDEOS: Hey Rudy, can you hear them NOW?

By GottaLaff

Back in 2007, our co-editor Cliff Schecter asked me to write up a piece on Rudy Giuliani. It was one of my first efforts. I decided to dig it up and re-post it, what with Rudy being all over the news again.

"Mayor 9/11" was never the hero he (and others) made himself out to be. And in the video below, Rachel Maddow points out that, based on his recent memory lapses/blantant lies, his political career is over:

Now let's take a trip back to yesteryear and flash back to an expose I did on Mayor Noun, Verb, Lie Eleven. Here is my original post:

On September 11th, 2001, this was heard from a police helicopter hovering over the World Trade Center:

''About 15 floors down from the top, it looks like it's glowing red,'' the pilot of one helicopter, Aviation 14, radioed at 10:07 a.m. ''It's inevitable.''

Orders were given to evacuate. There was just one hitch. One fatal hitch:

Yet most firefighters never heard those warnings, or earlier orders to get out. Their radio system failed frequently that morning. Even if the radio network had been reliable, it was not linked to the police system. And the police and fire commanders guiding the rescue efforts did not talk to one another during the crisis.

At least 121 firefighters died as a result.

Now, after months of grief, both the Fire and Police Departments are approaching the end of delicate internal reviews of their responses to the attack. Those reviews have concluded that major changes are needed in how the agencies go about their work and prepare for the next disaster, senior officials say.

So, let's see...how could this have happened? Where do we begin? Got it! At the top. The management, maybe?

A six-month examination by The Times found that the rescuers' ability to save themselves and others was hobbled by technical difficulties, a history of tribal feuding and management lapses that have been part of the emergency response culture in New York City and other regions for years.

And who was in charge? Why, it's as if it were almost yesterday...

Although Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani created the Office of Emergency Management in 1996 and spent nearly $25 million to coordinate emergency response, trade center officials said the agency had not conducted an emergency exercise there that included the Fire Department, the police and the Port Authority's emergency staff.

How's that whole wrapping-yourself-in-9/11-thing working out for you, Rudy?

Sally Regenhart, whose firefighter son died at the World Trade Center, contended that one of the reasons so many firefighters died on 9/11 was the inadequacy of the radios they carried – a situation for which she blamed Giuliani. [...] "He died because of the failures of the Giuliani administration – numerous failures but the most glaring one that contributed to his death was no radios . The radios they was given, he had no idea that they didn't work. He had no idea that they were the same ones that didn't work in 1993. He had no idea that he couldn't communicate with anyone in the World Trade Center."

Thomas Von Essen, the city's fire commissioner from 1996 through 2001, and a former president of the main fire union:

''But you have to start thinking about the reality of the world that we live in today. And that demands better leadership, more accountable leadership, a better-trained leadership, a more disciplined leadership that then filters down to a better-trained and more disciplined set of troops.''

See, Rudy, just being in a city that gets hit by terrorists doesn't qualify you to lead the city...let alone an entire country. The father of another fallen firefighter:

"One hundred and twenty one firefighters in the north tower died that day. Giuliani now says he was a hero. But, all he did was run, that day."

Rudy was on the streets because he put the Office of Emergency Management's command center at 7 World Trade Center . He had nowhere to go. Now there's the kind of judgment I want to see in a world leader, don't you?

On Friday, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said the city intended to create a radio channel that could be shared by police officers and firefighters, among other changes. ''There is no question there were communications problems at this catastrophic incident,' ' he said.

Bernard B. Kerik, the police commissioner at the time, said he did not believe that any communication problems between the agencies had significantly affected their performance. ' 'I was not made aware that day that we were having any difficulty coordinating,'' he said.

This is the same Bernie Kerik who had ties to organized crime , been sued for sexual harassment, and had employed an undocumented alien as a domestic servant. The very same one who Rudy recommended for the job of Secretary of Homeland Security. Yeah, he's credible. About as credible as Giuliani taking a "spontaneous" phone call from his wife.

Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer was the first chief to reach the north tower after the first plane crashed. He sent fire companies, including one led by his brother, Lt. Kevin Pfeifer, up the stairs of the building, but when he went to use his two-way radio to communicate with them, guess what failed to work? His brother didn't survive.

After both planes had struck, Assistant Chief Joseph Callan called an order in to clear the building.

Virtually no one answered his call. It seemed that few people, apart from those standing near him, heard it. Chief Peter Hayden, who was at the scene, said: ''We had ordered the firefighters down, but we weren't getting acknowledgments. We were very concerned about it.''

Let's recap: The radios the firefighters used that day were identical to the ones they used at the trade center eight years earlier.

''It's a disgrace,'' he said. ''The police are talking to each other. It's a no-brainer: Get us what they're using. We send people to the moon, and you mean to tell me a firefighter can't talk to a guy two floors above him?''

No, a firefighter can't. But America's Player Mayor can talk to his third wife during a political speech. It's obvious that to Rudy, the only kind of communication that's important is the self-serving kind.

Rudy is now "Noun, Verb, Toast".

Rudy Giuliani Will Take a Pass

Dammit, I miss pics of him in dresses and stories about wifey Judy and her expensive purses.

Rudy Giuliani is expected to announce tomorrow that he's not running for governor, U.S. senator or any other office next year, the New York Daily News reports.

Instead, he's expected to declare that he's staying in the private sector and will endorse fellow Rick Lazio (R) for governor.

Is Rudy Giuliani Done with Politics?

By GottaLaff

Signs point to yes:

New York Daily News: "Further proof that Rudy Giuliani is less than focused on running for office has emerged in an unlikely spot -- Rio de Janeiro."

He's just been hired by the city as a long-term security adviser for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Security adviser, perfect... Because, as we all know, he did so well on 9/11.

"The longer [Rudy] holds out, the more it seems like we're all being had -- again."

By GottaLaff

Rudy should be on the Tee Vee Machine hawking Flowbees:

Late last week, the big scoop was that Rudy Giuliani (R) would not run for governor and instead had decided to challenge Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

But we've heard nothing from Giuliani since that "news" broke.

New York Observer: "So here we are, five days later, and everyone is still trying to figure out what Rudy wants to do in 2010 -- except now, the focus is on the Senate race, not the governorship. This is exactly how he likes it, of course. He can maintain this holding pattern for weeks, maybe even months, as long as enough of us play along. But the longer he holds out, the more it seems like we're all being had -- again."

So-called America's Mayor is actually America's Player.

Now aides deny Giuliani bid for U.S. Senate

By GottaLaff

He was going to run before he wasn't. Oh well then. And just as the polls indicated that he could beat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) handily.

After all the talk of entering the race, we get this:

"It's not true," spokeswoman Maria Comella emailed just now.

All together now, a big Scooby Doo "whaaa?"

Huh? sound bite Scooby Doo sound bites

Rudy Giuliani to run for U.S. Senate; then may run for president in 2012

By GottaLaff

Earlier I posted about Rudy's deciding against running for governor. That was such a happy post. I look back on it fondly. However (there's that word again)...

...It turns out he had something different in mind, like running for U.S. Senate:

His opponent will be Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. This comes from "a source familiar with Giuliani's thinking." Is anyone really familiar with his way of thinking?

Come to think of it, does he think?

If elected, the source said, he could use that as a stepping stone to run for President in 2012 - rather than run for re-election to the Senate.

Rudy the Quitter?

This is great news, by the way. There is such a back log of information on Rudy. Why, here's a tasty morsel now!

H/t: BuzzFlash, Shannyn Moore

Giuliani Is Said to Have Decided Not to Run for Governor

By GottaLaff

From the Department of Because He Knew He Would Lose:

Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has decided not to run for governor of New York next year after months of mulling a candidacy, according to people who have been told of the decision.

His decision is a blow to many Republican leaders, who had viewed Mr. Giuliani as the strongest potential candidate in a year in which voter anger and anti-Albany sentiment appear to be swelling. [...]

It was not clear what prompted the decision, but the prospect of potentially facing Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, who is quietly planning his own run for governor, may not have appealed to Mr. Giuliani, who suffered a bruising defeat in the 2008 Republican presidential primary. [...]

It remains unclear if the former mayor is considering any other political race in 2010.

Video- Sunday Loon Watch: Rudy Giuliani keeps on saying the same thing over and over and over

Via Jed.

VIDEO: Fox's Chris Wallace catches Rudy Giuliani's blunder, but not his own

By GottaLaff

Of all people, Chris Wallace zaps Mr. Noun-Verb-9/11's flip-flopitude. How bracing!

Sidebar: I caught an interesting slip of the tongue by Wallace at about :39, too. Listen carefully:



Apparently, according to Rudy, "we are exactly who we say we are, a nation of war"... Well, according to Rudy and the Bush crime family.

Rudy Giuliani gets one right!

By GottaLaff

Hey, fair is fair. Via Josh Marshall:

I will give Rudy credit for realizing that the most important thing about fighting terrorism is the catch-phrases we use to describe it.

Noun. Verb. 9/11.

Death Panel Barbie, meet Death Panel Rudy

By GottaLaff

If you're ever on a game show, and the question is, "Is stupidity contagious?", hit the buzzer hard and yell out, "Yes! Yes! I can prove it!" Then show the judges this:

At the “GOPAC” political action committee convention in Illinois today, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said that though there are no “death panels” in any legislation, they would probably happen any way [...]:

Pressed on whether he himself believed the legislation calls for “death panels” to recommend hospice instead of treatment for the elderly, Giuliani said, “The only way in which you can save money the way the president and the House claims is by reducing care. So it is natural that some people would believe, particularly since they have these provisions for end-of-life decision-making councils, that it is natural that people would suggest that one of the ways you would do that is to cut off care for the elderly. Whether they will do that or not I don’t know. … People assume these Death Panels will be created. They [Democratic legislators] have created that suggestion in the ambiguity of the legislation.”

There are no “end-of-life decision-making councils” in any of the legislation in Congress. The only end-of-life provisions is in the House bill and it would allow Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions that address end-of-life issues. Additionally, the Senate Finance Committee has ruled out any such provisions.

After you win Round 1 with that answer, go right on to the Lightning Round and get bonus points by reminding everyone how Sarah the Quitter was for end-of-life counseling before her alter ego, Death Panel Barbie, was against it.

Ohhhh, sorry Rudy and Barbie, no parting gifts for you.

Rudy Giuliani: "The only way I could get elected governor ...things have to be so bad... "

By GottaLaff

Rudolph the Red Faced Loser:

"The only way I could get elected governor is the way I got elected mayor -- things have to be so bad... I got elected mayor, I believe, on the theory of -- it can't get worse. So if it gets to that point, maybe I'll decide."

-- Rudy Giuliani (R), quoted by the New York Daily News, on running for governor of New York in 2010.

Rudy Giuliani Still Considering Run for Governor of New York

Nothing but fun times ahead if he decides to run. I mean, really, who gets tired of cross dressing serial adulterer jokes? Via Taegan-

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) said that he is considering running for governor of New York in 2010, Politico reports. But he was very coy about it.

Said Giuliani: "I don't know if I am or if I'm not."

A more definitive sign he's considering it: The former mayor speaks to John Avlon "on how he might how he'd tame the nation's most dysfunctional legislature." Avlon is a former Giuliani speechwriter.

Rudy Giuliani to attacker: "Do it"

By GottaLaff

Does this count if it's from the N.Y. Post?

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani didn't blink today when a surly passer-by threatened to knock his lights out as Rudy strolled with wife Judi in the Hamptons, challenging the wacko to "do it!"

Wow, what machismo! Fearless! Manly! Defiant!

Oh, and Rudy wasn't bad either.

"I'm gonna punch your lights out," the suspect -- identified as John McCluskey, 69 -- repeatedly yelled at Giuliani, startling Judi, the witnesses said.

Rudy has lights? I know he has tights...

...but lights?

"Alright, do it then!" [Rudy] yelled, according to witness Mark Borghi.

He learned how to sound brave like that during that whole 9/11 thing. He's a quick study that way.

The bold challenge was apparently too much for the fuming suspect, and the Giulianis were able to give him the slip as he continued to scream.

So Big Brave Rudy scampered away after he tried to egg on a lunatic. There's that famous Giuliani judgment we've all come to know and not love.

McCluskey was eventually cuffed and taken away by Southampton cops, but not before he inexplicably rushed inside a coffee shop to empty his pockets, said Golden Pear employee Martin Schwenk.

McCluskey was likely dumping the cash Rudy paid him to stage the confrontation. Wise decision.

Giuliani Defends Wall Street Welfare While Slamming Tax Cuts For Poor

What a guy. Via Think Progress.

Huckabee Lashes Back, Settles Scores

You knew it was coming. First a tv show, now this? Dish-licious.

Out this week: Do The Right Thing: Inside the Movement That's Bringing Common Sense Back to America by Mike Huckabee.

Time calls it "at once a memoir of his campaign, a treatise on the ills of the Republican Party, and a blueprint for his own political future." The book is also "filled with sharp words for fellow Republicans who frustrated his bid for the party's nomination."

Mitt Romney "comes in for the roughest treatment... He notes that Romney declined to make a phone call of congratulations after Huckabee beat the oddsmakers to win the Iowa caucuses, 'which we took as a sign of total disrespect.'"

He also "calls out Pat Robertson, the Virginia-based televangelist, and Dr. Bob Jones III, chancellor of Bob Jones University in South Carolina, for endorsing Rudy Giuliani and Romney, respectively. He also has words for the Texas-based Rev. John Hagee, who endorsed the more moderate John McCain in the primaries, as someone who was drawn to the eventual Republican nominee because of the lure of power."

Giuliani won't rule out runs for NY governor or president

By GottaLaff

Go ahead. Make our day:

Rudy Giuliani told CNN Sunday the failure of his presidential bid this year didn’t mark the end of his political career — and that his future could include another White House run.

The former New York City mayor said that the economic environment this year may have presented too big an obstacle for any Republican presidential hopeful to overcome. [...]

Giuliani also wouldn’t rule out the the idea of serving in an Obama administration, though he said it was “unlikely” to happen. [...]

Giuliani also left open the prospect of a run for New York governor against Democrat David Paterson. [...] "I'll think about it when the right time comes along."

Call me crazy, but I don't think President Obama would get within toupee-throwing distance of Rudy.