Politics > Politics-USA > Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul- Reagan and The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"can_o_worms" |
| Date: |
17 May 2007 06:28:02 PM |
| Object: |
Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul- Reagan and The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |
Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul, and Reality
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=195576
John Nichols 05/16/2007
Rudy Giuliani made clear in Tuesday night's
Republican presidential debate that he is not ready
to let the facts get in the way of his approach to
foreign policy.
The most heated moment in the debate, which aired
live on the conservative Fox News network, came when
the former New York mayor and current GOP
front-runner angrily refused to entertain a serious
discussion about the role that actions taken by the
United States prior to the September 11, 2OO1,
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon may have played in inspiring or encouraging
those attacks.
Giuliani led the crowd of contenders on attacking
Texas Congressman Ron Paul after the anti-war
Republican restated facts that are outlined in the
report of the The National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks Upon the United States.
Asked about his opposition to the invasion and
occupation of Iraq, Paul repeated his oft-expressed
concern that instead of making the U.S. safer, U.S.
interventions in the Middle East over the years have
stirred up anti-American sentiment. As he did in the
previous Republican debate, the Texan suggested that
former President Ronald Reagan's decisions to
withdraw U.S. troops from the region in the 198Os
were wiser than the moves by successive Republican
and Democratic presidents to increase U.S. military
involvement there.
Speaking of extremists who target the U.S, Paul said,
"They attack us because we've been over there. We've
been bombing Iraq for 10 years. We've been in the
Middle East [for years]. I think (Ronald) Reagan was
right. We don't understand the irrationality of
Middle Eastern politics. Right now, we're building
an embassy in Iraq that is bigger than the Vatican.
We're building 14 permanent bases. What would we say
here if China was doing this in our country or in
the Gulf of Mexico? We would be objecting."
Paul argued that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda are
"delighted that we're over there" in Iraq, pointing
out that, "They have already... killed 3,400 of our
men and I don't think it was necessary."
Giuliani, going for an applause line with a
conservative South Carolina audience that was not
exactly sympathetic with his support for abortion
rights and other socially liberal positions, leapt
on Paul's remarks. Interrupting the flow of the
debate, Giuliani declared, "That's really an
extraordinary statement. That's really an
extraordinary statement, as someone who lived
through the attack of Sept. 11, that we invited the
attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think
I have ever heard that before and I have heard some
pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11. I would ask
the congressman withdraw that comment and tell us
that he didn't really mean that."
The mayor, who is making his response to the 9-11
attacks on New York a central feature of his
presidential campaign, was joined in the assault on
Paul by many of the other candidates.
But congressman did not back down, and for good
reason. Unlike Giuliani, the Texan has actually read
the record.
The 9-11 Commission report detailed how bin Laden
had, in 1996, issued "his self-styled fatwa calling
on Muslims to drive American soldiers out of Saudi
Arabia" and identified that declaration and another
in 1998 as part of "a long series" of statements
objecting to U.S. military interventions in his
native Saudi Arabia in particular and the Middle
East in general. Statements from bin Laden and those
associated with him prior to 9-11 consistently
expressed anger with the U.S. military presence on
the Arabian Peninsula, U.S. aggression against the
Iraqi people and U.S. support of Israel.
The 9-11 Commission based its assessments on
testimony from experts on terrorism and the Middle
East. Asked about the motivations of the terrorists,
FBI Special Agent James Fitzgerald told the
commission: "I believe they feel a sense of outrage
against the United States. They identify with the
Palestinian problem, they identify with people who
oppose repressive regimes, and I believe they tend
to focus their anger on the United States."
Fitzgerald's was not a lonely voice in the
intelligence community.
Michael Scheuer, the former Central Intelligence
Agency specialist on bin Laden and al-Qaeda, has
objected to simplistic suggestions by President Bush
and others that terrorists are motivated by an
ill-defined irrational hatred of the United States.
"The politicians really are at great fault for not
squaring with the American people," Scheuer said in
a CNN interview. "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."
It is true that reasonable people might disagree
about the legitimacy of Muslim and Arab objections
to U.S. military policies. And, certainly, the vast
majority of Americans would object to any attempt
to justify the attacks on this country, its citizen
and its soldiers.
But that was not what Paul was doing. He was trying
to make a case, based on what we know from past
experience, for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq.
Giuliani's reaction to Paul's comments, especially
the suggestion that they should be withdrawn, marked
him as the candidate peddling "absurd explanations."
Viewers of the debate appear to have agreed. An
unscientific survey by Fox News asked its viewers to
send text messages identifying the winner. Tens of
thousands were received and Paul ranked along with
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as having made
the best showing.
No wonder then that, when asked about his dust-up
with Giuliani, Paul said he'd be "delighted" to
debate the front-runner on foreign policy.
Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul, and Reality
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/campaignmatters?bid=45&pid=195576
.
|
|
| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul- Reagan and The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |
17 May 2007 10:34:10 PM |
|
|
Maybe Washington didn't cause 9/11 by its attack on Iraq whe Bush
Daddy was president 10 years earlier. But what sure contributed to it
was that Washington made America the world's most-hated nation
starting over a century earlier by invading and beating up on puny
nations no serious threat to America - from Mexico in 1849 to Central
America soon after to Cuba in the late 1800s to (of course)
"destroy(ing)" the village in order to save it" as an Army officer in
Nam put it about Washington's wrecking that nation in the 1960s.
No $4 to park! No $6 admission! http://www.INTERNET-GUN-SHOW.com
.
|
|
|
| User: "can_o_worms" |
|
| Title: Re: Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul- Reagan and The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |
17 May 2007 11:30:01 PM |
|
|
On 17 May 2007 20:34:10 -0700, "editor@netpath.net"
<editor@netpath.net> wrote:
Maybe Washington didn't cause 9/11 by its attack on Iraq when Bush
Daddy was president 10 years earlier. But what sure contributed to it
was that Washington made America the world's most-hated nation
starting over a century earlier by invading and beating up on puny
nations no serious threat to America - from Mexico in 1849 to Central
America soon after to Cuba in the late 1800s to (of course)
"destroy(ing)" the village in order to save it" as an Army officer in
Nam put it about Washington's wrecking that nation in the 1960s.
No $4 to park! No $6 admission! http://www.INTERNET-GUN-SHOW.com
I'll bet that having U.S. oil in Latin America nationalized by
the locals would still be of interest to American hats in DC if
they weren't so preoccupied with remodelling the Middle East.
If you really want to ***** off Giuliani or much of todays
GOP you could just tell them that their unconditional
support of Israel....right or wrong....is what draws fire to
the place where we live. Bush senior's administration
was well aware of that and paid the political price for
their objections to West Bank settlements and refusal
to occupy Iraq.
Of course no contemporary pol will dare say so or he would
find his house or senate opponent inundated with money at
their next re-election.
Giuliani, imo, was Time magazine's "Man of the Year" for
visiting Israel immediately after 9-11.....which shows whose
interests are priority with Rudy Giuliani.
.
|
|
|
| User: "Dr. Zarkov" |
|
| Title: Re: Rudy Giuliani v. Ron Paul- Reagan and The National Commissionon Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |
18 May 2007 02:24:00 PM |
|
|
can_o_worms wrote:
On 17 May 2007 20:34:10 -0700, "editor@netpath.net"
<editor@netpath.net> wrote:
Maybe Washington didn't cause 9/11 by its attack on Iraq when Bush
Daddy was president 10 years earlier. But what sure contributed to it
was that Washington made America the world's most-hated nation
starting over a century earlier by invading and beating up on puny
nations no serious threat to America - from Mexico in 1849 to Central
America soon after to Cuba in the late 1800s to (of course)
"destroy(ing)" the village in order to save it" as an Army officer in
Nam put it about Washington's wrecking that nation in the 1960s.
No $4 to park! No $6 admission! http://www.INTERNET-GUN-SHOW.com
I'll bet that having U.S. oil in Latin America nationalized by
the locals would still be of interest to American hats in DC if
they weren't so preoccupied with remodelling the Middle East.
If you really want to ***** off Giuliani or much of todays
GOP you could just tell them that their unconditional
support of Israel....right or wrong....is what draws fire to
the place where we live. Bush senior's administration
was well aware of that and paid the political price for
their objections to West Bank settlements and refusal
to occupy Iraq.
Of course no contemporary pol will dare say so or he would
find his house or senate opponent inundated with money at
their next re-election.
Giuliani, imo, was Time magazine's "Man of the Year" for
visiting Israel immediately after 9-11.....which shows whose
interests are priority with Rudy Giuliani.
Harry Browne put it well after the 9/11 attacks:
"Our foreign policy has been insane for decades. It was only a matter of
time until Americans would have to suffer personally for it. It is a
terrible tragedy of life that the innocent so often have to suffer for
the sins of the guilty.
When will we learn that we can't allow our politicians to bully the
world without someone bullying back eventually?
President Bush has authorized continued bombing of innocent people in
Iraq. President Clinton bombed innocent people in the Sudan,
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Serbia. President Bush, senior, invaded Iraq and
Panama. President Reagan bombed innocent people in Libya and invaded
Grenada. And on and on it goes.
Did we think the people who lost their families and friends and property
in all that destruction would love America for what happened?
....
Stand back and ask how this could have happened. Ask how a prosperous
country isolated by two oceans could have so embroiled itself in other
people's business that someone would want to do us harm. Even sitting in
the middle of Europe, Switzerland isn't beset by terrorist attacks,
because the Swiss mind their own business."
Harry Browne
When will we learn?
2001 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=24444
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
