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Giuliani’s Secret 9/11 TestimonyPosted on Nov 1, 2007By Joe Conason In Rudolph Giuliani’s narrative of his own life, as confided to rapt Republican voters along the presidential primary trail, he has been fighting the lonely twilight struggle against “Islamic terrorism” since sometime in the 1970s. Both the former mayor and his supporters often suggest that his understanding of the terror threat is visceral and almost mystical. Only he, among all the candidates of both parties, truly grasps the issue and possesses the fortitude to confront the threat. As part of the same spiel touting his 30 years of experience battling terrorism, Giuliani often attacks the Clinton administration for failing to comprehend the nature of the problem following the first major attack on New York, which occurred shortly after he became mayor. “Islamic terrorists killed Americans. Slaughtered Americans. Bombed the World Trade Center. Bombed it,” he said in a typical speech last summer. “You know what the reaction of the Clinton administration at the time was? It was a crime. It was another group of murders. ... Well, it wasn’t just another group of murders.” While that description of President Clinton’s response to the February 1993 bombing is hardly fair or accurate, the tone of curt disdain serves a specific partisan purpose, by warning that a Clinton restoration in the White House will endanger America. His unrelenting attacks are aimed at portraying Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner, as too weak to serve as commander in chief. But his biting words also invite closer scrutiny of Giuliani’s claims about himself. Unfortunately, few mainstream media outlets will take up that invitation. Although cable channels devote endless amounts of airtime to consider the authenticity of Mrs. Clinton’s laughter, they seem unable to cover an extraordinary scoop that raises questions about Giuliani’s authenticity. Published in the Oct. 23 issue of The Village Voice—the New York alternative weekly that has excelled in covering the former mayor for many years—that scoop revealed the contents of his private testimony before the 9/11 Commission. The previously sealed memoranda summarizing Giuliani’s testimony, obtained by reporter Wayne Barrett, show profound contradictions between his stump speech and what he admitted to the commission behind closed doors. For reasons that remain unclear, the minutes of his private testimony, marked “commission sensitive/unclassified,” were nevertheless to be locked away until the convenient date of December 2008. Nobody associated with the 9/11 Commission could explain how or why that decision had been made. The Voice article discloses the embarrassing contents of a 15-page “memorandum for the record,” prepared by a commission attorney on April 20, 2004, which quotes Giuliani explaining that he knew little about Osama bin Laden’s organization until “after 9/11,” when “we brought in people to brief us on al-Qaida.” He recalled no such briefing earlier, which was “a mistake,” he acknowledged, since “if experts share a lot of info,” that would mean a “better chance of someone making heads and tails ... [of the] situation.” When a commissioner inquired about his knowledge of al-Qaida threats during the three years preceding 9/11, Giuliani replied, “At the time, I wasn’t told it was al-Qaida, but now that I look back at it, I think it was al-Qaida.” He noted that soon after the 9/11 attacks, he had brought in Yossef Bodansky, author of the prophetic 2001 book “Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America,” to brief him and his staff. (In his own book, “Leadership,” he discloses that he read Bodansky’s book at the urging of his wife, and covered the text in “highlighter and notes.” No wonder he regards himself as an expert.) Asked how he might apply the city’s crime-fighting strategies to the “war on terror,” Giuliani said, “Bernie knows more than I,” a reference to former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, the extremely dubious character whom he almost succeeded in installing as secretary of Homeland Security. All in all, his private testimony makes him seem clueless. That won’t surprise anyone who has read “Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11,” the 2006 book by Barrett and Dan Collins that delves into many of the errors and falsehoods behind the Republican front-runner’s facade. More puzzling—but alas not so surprising—is the reluctance of the mainstream media to follow up on Barrett’s story. When Giuliani observes that national security will be the chief concern of many voters this year and next, he is correct. That is exactly why he deserves the scrutiny he has escaped so far. Joe Conason writes for the New York Observer. © 2007 Creators Syndicate Inc. Previous item: Cyborg Parents From Hell Next item: Giuliani's Health Care Cherry-Picking Elsewhere: . CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig.
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By Tom Murphy, November 25, 2007 at 11:43 am # see video: CNN/YouTube Republican Debate: Giuliani 9/11 Question Giuliani claims, ”American foreign policy had nothing to do with the September 11th. September 11th happened because these people who hate us, hate us because of the freedoms that we have.” Giuliani is lying to us. “The politicians really are at great fault for not squaring with the American people. We’re being attacked for what we do in the Islamic world, not for who we are or what we believe in or how we live. And there’s a huge burden of guilt to be laid at Mr. Bush, Mr. Clinton, both parties for simply lying to the American people.” - Michael Scheuer, Former CIA Bin Laden Unit Chief
By DWAYNE, November 2, 2007 at 1:37 pm # It’s no surprise to me that the media selectively fails to cover such a story. It’s because he is a Republican candidate. You must remember that the Republican Party controls the media (news we get). You and I both know the owners of these companies themselves are Republicans or support the position of the Republican party. They won’t snitch (expose) on their friends and associates, they just want us citizens (regular folks) to. Let’s not forget that even if they are found guilty of a crime they are pardoned for it. Their position deny and lie, and make others buy.
By msgmi, November 1, 2007 at 6:24 pm # After the ‘93 WTC bombing Rudy G made sure that the NYC Emergency Response HQS be housed at the WTC in spite of it being a target and over the objections by some of his key staff members. Rudy G of course knows better, Rudy G thinks he is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Indeed, Rudy G will villify anyyone that stands in his way. Anyone recall how GW bashed, smeared, and pissed all over John McCain, a war hero and true patriot? Anyone recall that after the ‘93 WTC bombing Rudy G made sure that the NYPD and the NYFD had compatable radio communications? Rudy G talked that talk but he failed that walk, and in 2001 over 3K perished with hundreds of NYPD & NYFD sacrificed. Need more be said of the omni-CON-man.
By msgmi, November 1, 2007 at 6:18 pm # After the ‘93 WTC bombing Rudy G made sure that the NYC Emergency Response HQS be housed at the WTC in spite of it being a target and over the objections by some of his key staff members. Rudy G of course knows better, Rudy G thinks he is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent; that’s what the republican right wing believes is necessary to preserve U.S. security. Indeed, Rudy G will villify anyyone that stands in his way. Anyone recall how GW bashed, smeared, and pissed all over John McCain, a war hero and true patriot? Anyone recall that after the ‘93 WTC bombing Rudy G made sure that the NYPD and the NYFD had compatable radio communications? Rudy G talked that talk but he failed the walk and in 2001 over 3K perished with hundreds of NYPD & NYFD sacrificed. Need more be said of the omni-CON-man.
By DennisD, November 1, 2007 at 5:07 pm # Why is this guy even relevant to any conversation regarding the Presidency.
By rodney, November 1, 2007 at 1:36 pm # People are sitting back in New York waiting for Giuliani to get the nomination. At that time we will find out just like Bush,the emperor has no clothes
By M. Stingley, November 1, 2007 at 10:56 am # Rudy Giuliani is a dangerous man that is given to delusion just like George W. Bush. These people believe their own press to the extent that they think everyone else is blind and stupid as they are. Giuliani talks about 9-11 and that he knows how to keep America safe. Duhhhh, 9-11 did happen on his watch. So how in the hell is that an example of how to keep America safe. Pehaps he should tout his ability to RESPOND to a terror attack. He sure as hell didn’t prevent one. Quite the contrary. Perhaps you could point that out to Rudy. He, like Bush has a problem with the truth. God help us if we end up with a Bush clone in 08
By Pacrat, November 1, 2007 at 9:44 am # Rudy is a multiple loser! Two failed marriages, failure to prepare for an attack on the twin towers and, in fact, failure to remember the earlier attack, failin in the recovery tasks, and now failing to tell the truth about himself. What a loser! Wrapping himself in the Bush cloak is a terrible mistake. Did I say “what a loser?” |
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