Needlessly Keeping Up The Giuliani Pretense

[babylonsister]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_05/023713.php

NEEDLESSLY KEEPING UP THE GIULIANI PRETENSE.... ABC News' "This Week" will have two featured guests tomorrow. The first is a good get -- Attorney General Eric Holder will sit down for his first Sunday morning interview since the attempted Times Square bombing last weekend. Between this week's developments, questions about the new Arizona immigration law, and the looming trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, having Holder on is a no-brainer.

The interview after Holder, however, is far less sensible.

{I}n a This Week EXCLUSIVE interview, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani explains why he thinks the accused bomb suspect should be declared an enemy combatant. Should terror suspects lose their Miranda rights and be stripped of their citizenship? Is a criminal approach to terrorism making America less safe? The man who has been called America's Mayor - the mayor of New York City on September 11, 2001 -- Rudy Giuliani, only on This Week.

This seems to be pretty reflexive for the national media -- if terrorism is in the news, it must be time to interview the former mayor of a city where terrorism struck nearly nine years ago. The assumption at news outlets is as common as it is bizarre -- terrorists struck New York, so the former mayor of New York must be an expert on terrorism.

But it's a mistake, not only to buy into bogus associations, but also to present Giuliani to the public as a credible, reliable voice on national security issues. He clearly is not. Giuliani's remarks on national security policy tend to be, on their face, ridiculous. Worse, his commentary tends to include claims that are wrong, poorly thought out, or both.

It's well outside the realm of opinion to note that Rudy Giuliani has, just in the last few months, repeatedly lied on national television about national security. He told demonstrable lies about the response to the Abdulmutallab case; he told demonstrable lies about the State of the Union address; and he told a demonstrable lie when he boasted on ABC, "We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We've had one under Obama."

Newsweek's Ben Adler recently noted that Giuliani's frequent "factual errors ... raise a legitimate question as to whether Giuliani deserves to be invited back to discuss foreign policy." And yet, Giuliani keeps getting invited back anyway.

Rewarding someone who deceives the public with more airtime does a disservice to the discourse -- and encourages more public deception.

About a month ago, Greg Sargent noted, "Someone needs to tell the bookers at the networks that the fact that Rudy Giuliani happened to get photographed walking through the smoke and dust on 9/11 does not give him any authority or credibility on foreign policy and national security issues."

That's good advice. There are conservative experts in national security matters, who have credibility and relevance in the contemporary debate. Giuliani isn't an expert, he has no credibility, and he stopped being relevant quite a while ago. He's the worst possible guest on these issues -- no substance, no honesty, and no depth beyond tired talking points. It hardly makes for must-see TV.

—Steve Benen

[CanonRay]

1. I think the networks have these idiots under contract

so they feel they have to use them once in a while to justify their payments. What other reason could there be to have somebody like Giuliani?

[Cha]

4. They definetly have all the idiots under contract..mccain,

the 9/11 ghoul, brownie, freakin' any goper who makes gross mistakes and lies about Dems..gets lots of airtime to spew their fetid hot gas.

[saltpoint]

2. Recommended. Giuliani is a monster.

He's just a monster.

He's gotten very sloppy with the facts and he goes on these news programs to push buttons.

Joe Biden nailed Giuliani better than any one when he said that everything that comes out of his mouth is "a noun, a verb, and 911."

[FreeJG]

3. Yes, Gooliani is on the political talk shows all over Florida! We have most seats open and running

And they don't put them on TV for people to get to know....and they will be voting. Gooliani will not be on our state ballot....so WTF over?

[Arkana]

5. Why, why, WHY is Rudy "Noun, Verb, 9/11" Giuliani given ANY

national security cred?

Because he happened to be mayor in New York City when 9/11 happened? Big fucking deal! He didn't do anything extraordinary to help alleviate suffering or offer advice on how to deal with the attack at the federal level! All he did was be in the right place at the right time!

[troubledamerican]

6. Fear not -- Giuliani will be grilled on Bernie Kerik, Bush's Anthrax failure & 9/11 on his watch

Because ABC practices neutral journalism

[zulchzulu]

7. I fast-forwarded my DVR to see Rude Rudy make an ass out of himself

He is merely a cartoon character at this point. He's an utter failure as a Presidential candidate and will get nowhere near the seat of power before he finally does the World a favor and takes a dirt nap. His claim to fame is being a mayor who was too much of a wimp to stand up to Bush for letting his city be attacked. He is a womanizer and someone who used the police department to shuttle him to his mistress. He's now a bloviator for the Right Wing, who he used to hate.

The guy is scum. Pure. Scum.

[MadMaddie]

8. Giuliani is a stooge

why he gets the attention he does is beyond me. He failed to get effective communication systems for the emergency workers and then he put the command center in one of the towers even when the professionals said it was a bad idea...

Go away Rudy your 15 min of fame are over!

[Peacetrain]

9. terror, terror terror, and 9/11... that is all they got