Giuliani "Misspoke" About Ground Zero

GOP Presidential Candidate Backs Off Comparison With Rescue Workers After 9/11

(AP)  Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said Friday that he misspoke when he said he spent as much time, if not more, at ground zero exposed to the same health risks as workers combing the site after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I think I could have said it better," he told nationally syndicated radio host Mike Gallagher. "You know, what I was saying was, 'I'm there with you."'

The former New York mayor upset some firefighters and police officers when he said Thursday in Cincinnati that he was at ground zero "as often, if not more, than most of the workers."

"I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them," he told reporters at a Los Angeles Dodgers-Cincinnati Reds baseball game.

Fire and police officials responded angrily, saying Giuliani did not do the same work as those involved in the rescue, recovery and cleanup from the 2001 terrorist attacks, which left many workers sick and injured.

On Friday, Giuliani said he was trying to show his concern for the workers' health.

"What I was trying to say yesterday is that I empathize with them, because I feel like I have that same risk," he said.

"There were people there less than me, people on my staff, who already have had serious health consequences, and they weren't there as often as I was," Giuliani said, "but I wasn't trying to suggest a competition of any kind, which is the way it come across."

Giuliani's explanation further angered his ground zero critics, prompting several to issue a statement demanding an apology.

"He is such a liar, because the only time he was down there was for photo ops with celebrities, with politicians, with diplomats," said deputy fire chief Jimmy Riches, who spent months digging for his firefighter son.

"On 9/11 all he did was run. He got that soot on him, and I don't think he's taken a shower since."

Harold Schaitberger, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, a union that fiercely opposes Giuliani, said he doubted Giuliani misspoke.

"I think he was simply showing what his true character is — a self-absorbed, self-deluded promoter who got caught and is now just simply trying to backtrack," Schaitberger said.

A former deputy mayor, Joe Lhota, said the critics are politically motivated and wrong.

"They're taking their anger out in the wrong direction," Lhota said. "He was literally there four and five times a day; he did anything but run away.

"They're losing sight of the fact that this country, and this city, was attacked on that day by terrorists; it's their fault. Rudy Giuliani coordinated efforts in this city like no one had ever seen before."

Also Friday, Giuliani named another former deputy mayor, Rudy Washington, chairman of his campaign in New York City. Washington played a role in ground zero operations for weeks after Sept. 11 and received medical coverage for debilitating asthma and other health complications.

[toldyouso21]

KARL ROVE IS 'OSTENSIBLY' RESIGNING AT THE END OF AUGUST; supposedly for family reasons. I think the battle about Gonzales, lies, erased emails and complicity/"executive privilege" is heating up and Rove has to go 'black ops' for now to try to take the heat off of the hearings and to forestall any investigations.

As usual. CBS is a day late and a dollar short in repoeting this momentous revelation. Where TF do they get there news from again?

[sgtrds]

Posted by likeitis5050 at 09:40 AM : Aug 12, 2007

I think we can have it again. I don't think extremists have to be in control of either party, but I'm having a hard enough time trying to convince other democrats to stick with the democratic party, so I hope some real republicans will do the same with their party. The there have been problem between the two parties always, in the end both usually wanted what was best for America first and then their party. that's changed under the guidance of Rove who believes in sharp divisions and outright hatred of the other party. He got his wish on that, we hate him and his ideas right back. It's a shame, but we have to defend our ideals from devise people like him before we can come back to working together again. He makes it a case of fight nasty or lose.

[grazinggoat]

...next year he'll be claiming to have personally stood on top of the World Trade Center and heroically turned a dozen planes away with his bare hands...
Posted by RandalDS

-SupeRudman with blue and red flying cape! Unfortunately he's been crippled by the hatred power of terrorists and could not prevent the twin towers from falling! Nonetheless he prevented the immediate fall of tower 7, that fell ''alone'' a couple of hours laters.

Thnx Randy, but again I'd recommand the bloggers community to watch this well done and deeply researched documentary. www.zeitgeistmovie.com

[abbe91]

"Get off it already, if the firefighters had there way ...
Posted by thgdriver at 11:32 AM : Aug 12, 2007"

... we would know the truth about 911 and Cheney and Giuliani would be in jail.

[thgdriver]

Get off it already, if the firefighters had there way they would still be standing on a pile of burning rubble with their fingers in their noses. Democrats and liberals trying to rewrite history to fit their political agenda, who's surprised?

Move along, nothing to see here, keep moving, nothing new here, this way, keep moving!

[likeitis5050]

If you are a New Yorker, you know the truth. If you are a New Yorker you need to be validating all the truth that is coming out from the city employees to the poor and homeless who were subjected to Rudy's bullying and fear-based leadership. The only ones who can honestly say they didn't experience the effects of his toxic fallout are the wealthy who managed to hang on to all their wealth during his reign.

The cops and firefighters know he is a false prophet...a wolf in sheep's clothing, and out to whitewash all the slime he left behind his exit. He is a danger to any office he attempts to hold. He would be an embarrassment to himself if weren't so arrogant, self-absorbed and egotisical.

[likeitis5050]

RandalDS It's nice going down memory lane...remembering how parties 'used' to be...before the extremes became the norm. Both parties are not the parties of the past. Sure, you had to keep an eye on them, since politicians can't be trusted to simply do what is right without the threat of expulsion hanging over their heads, but the parties stood for something that benefited the nation over their own selfish needs. Lobbyists and special interest groups have gradually become the deciding factor in how politicians do business and it's all done without voter approval. Faith-based initiatives have controlled this administration in spite of separation of church and state protection built in to our Constitution. I know the majority of voters remember when things actually worked by the people and for the people.

[coffeehead-2009]

Of course he's using it for political gain, sound familiar... Seems some idiot in the white house has been doing that for 7 years now...

Political or monetary. Google Guliani and the NAFTA superhighway... And as far as his excellent preformance during 9-11?



xxxx
The fact is that the Mayor%u2019s switch to a scoop-and-dump coincided with the removal of tens of millions of dollars of gold, silver and other assets of the Bank of Nova Scotia that were buried beneath what was once the towers. Once the money was out, Giuliani sided with the developers that opposed a lengthy recovery effort, and ordered the scoop-and-dump operation so they could proceed with redevelopment.

Yesterday, Harold Schaitberger of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) %u2014 the nation%u2019s largest firefighters organization, consisting of 280,000 members %u2014 assailed Giuliani, detailing how the mayor ditched body-recovery efforts only 24 hours after recovering the $230 million in gold. %u201CHe found the gold on October 31, and on November 1 is when he issued the order to remove the firefighters from their recovery mode.%u201D Watch it:

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/07/12/giuliani-firefighters-gold/

[gbaney-2009]

Of course he's using it for political gain, sound familiar... Seems some idiot in the white house has been doing that for 7 years now... Once a self-absorbed Republican always one.... Next thing you know Al Qaeda will be in New york, or threat level Orange.... Idiots

[zorlacskates]

he's a troll that sucks at his job. bill and monica jokes? yawn, stonedfrog. do you know what decade this is?

stonedshit is a troll.

Giuliani is nothing but a lying SOB who needs to be taught a valuable lesson.

Giuliani is trying to exploit 9/11 for his own political and financial reasons.

He is nothing but scum.

[j-whitman]

stonebog,,,, Bush's War Czar says our country could use a draft to keep up with the demands on our military.... Here's your chance for big bucks in this time of our countries urgent need.

The Army will give you $20,000 cash for enlisting if you promise to leave for boot camp in 30 days.

John Kerry volunteered & served honorably on avtive duty ----- George W. Bush ran from active duty

[usayesterday]

Please do not let us Democrats run away with the Congressional and Presidential elections.
A national one party system is bad for America.
Posted by ramos937 at 05:33 PM : Aug 11, 2007
............


No need to worry about that ramos937.....


...because it's DIEBOLD to the rescue!

Diebold helped save America in 2004 from becoming a great country again. And Diebold helped save the terrorists by allowing them to have more people to kill beyond 2004 (and possibly well into 2008)!

[ramos937]

Rudy did not mispeak. He knew what he was saying. He just did not count on having people speak up and contradict him and essentially call him a liar.

To my GOP friends - surely you can do much better than Rudy? The polls all say he is ahead with you nationally. Please do not let us Democrats run away with the Congressional and Presidential elections.
A national one party system is bad for America.

[HCIHCMC]

Rudy misspoke about his 9/11 heroics. The firefighters have a different perspective:

http://www.rudy-urbanlegend.com:80/

Now ... if he can restrain himself from pretending to care about Americans' access to healthcare (well, as much as any paid gunslinger for special interests) ... he might enhance his image to the status of a shark:



http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/oxycontin_the_g.html

http://todaysseniorsnetwork.com/guiliani_sells_out.htm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18672413/

[misspp-2009]

Giuliana's a fake just like Bush.

[randalds]

MCVET: It is YOU who can't read, you moron.
Posted by jack3213

oooooooh he called you a moron.

Posted by rushlimpdrug at 03:31 PM : Aug 11, 2007

OUCH! OMG! What a witty comeback! How can MCVet respond after being so completely chastised! He must be crushed!! Such a wordsmith this one is!

[rushlimpdrug]

MCVET: It is YOU who can't read, you moron.
Posted by jack3213

oooooooh he called you a moron.

[notbuynit]

Found this on Wikipedia:

charlatan (plural charlatans)}

1. A malicious trickster; a fake person, especially one who deceives for personal profit.

[edit] Translations
*** malicious trickster[Show]

* Indonesian: penipu
* Italian: ciarlatano m.
* Finnish: huijari
* German: Scharlatan m.



* Spanish: charlatan m.
* Turkish: sarlatan

[edit] Synonyms

* mountebank
* fraudster
* con-artist
* con-man
* imposter
* crackpot
* lunatic
* nut
* crank
* politician

***They forgot a few names on that list.