Rudy on the Terror Arrests
EmailCampaigning in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Saturday, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said that "today’s arrests remind us that we’re at war.
"The reality is over the last couple of weeks we’ve had two now major arrests of people who were organizing to attack in America and to attack Americans. The first one was at Fort Dix, the second was at Kennedy airport," said Giuliani, who in no small way is staking his candidacy on his perceived strength on national security issues in light of his performance during the 9/11 attacks.
"It should remind us that the terrorists are at war with us both overseas and here in the United States. Sometimes I know this is a different kind of war so it’s sometimes hard to focus on. But the reality is that today’s arrests remind me of the fact that we have to stay on offense against terrorists.
"I believe that the FBI and police and United States attorney who uncovered this case, much like the United States attorney in New Jersey and the FBI and police there, these are people who are on offense against terrorism. They are looking for this. In the past, before Sept. 11, they weren’t on offense, because we hadn’t had the attack of Sept. 11, so hindsight does help here."
Giuliani, clearly alluding to the Democratic presidential candidates, added that, "The reality is that there are people in America who don’t realize now how serious this threat is, and, you know, we have to remain on offense. It may also make it clear to us that this terrorist war against us, or our being on offense against them, is not just a political issue for one side or the other, it’s a reality that we live with we’re going to live with for quite some time.
"So that we have to remain on offense, we need things like the PATRIOT Act, we need things like electronic surveillance. It has to be legal, but we need it. We need things like interrogation techniques to get information from people — legal again, but it has to be aggressive. These are the things that keep us safe in a world where there are more than a few people organized around Islamic terrorists who want to harm us and to kill us."
What do you think? Does Hizzoner have it right?
– jpt, with an assist from Jan Simmonds
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I wish everyone whould stop saying “the war in Iraq.” We are not at was with Iraq but with terrorists who are in Iraq as well as other countries including ours. Please start saying something more accurate like “the war on terror.”
Posted by: Marie Jenkinson | June 3, 2007, 12:59 pm 12:59 pm
Subtle! I guess Guiliani got the memo that repetition works. How many times am I going to read him quoted as saying US needs to be on the offensive? And what exactly does that mean, I wonder.
Posted by: cordelia525 | June 3, 2007, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm
Mr. Giuliani’s argument that we must stay on the offensive is flawed because to date our offense has been against the wrong “enemy.” By our misadventure, we have allowed Baghdad to become a haven for terrorists whose numbers and threat only increase by each misstep taken by the Bush Administration. Mr. Giuliani’s is apparently providing empty rhetoric for Senator McCain while he is being fitted for a “flak,” or is it “flack” jacket for his next jaunt through the surge-safe streets of Baghdad. Mr. Giuliani, we’ve heard your message repeatedly through the many mouthpieces of this Administration, most of whom have departed in disgrace. When you have somthing enlightened to add, don’t hesitate to voice your ingnorance on the subject again.
Posted by: mongo100 | June 3, 2007, 2:27 pm 2:27 pm
Rudy: The long reality
[T]his terrorist war against us, or our being on offense against them, is not just a political issue for one side or the other, it’s a reality that we’re going to live with for quite some time.
Rudy Giuliani
…
Posted by: rudy | newt | June 3, 2007, 2:47 pm 2:47 pm
I am sure that virtually everyone agrees that terrorists present a grave threat so why are he, McCain and Bush focusing on a path to citizenship, amnesty, for illegal immigrants rather than the immediate securing of our borders. If he and they learned so much on 9/11 why are our borders still not secure some 6 years later? Could it be that all these guys are worried about are elections?
Posted by: A Viet Nam Vet | June 3, 2007, 3:29 pm 3:29 pm
Giuliani has a point. However we have been on offense for quite some time now, and things haven’t gone all that well. We don’t need another President who spends 99.9% of his time on Iraq and terrorists, and is so absorbed by it that none of the other important issues get the attention that they need. Giuliani wouldn’t be much different than what we already have with Bush. The guy that can take this mess that we are in and take it apart and analyze it and put it back together again better than anyone is Mitt Romney. He has made a career out of turning things around. In the private sector he saved business after business, as governor he turned around a huge mess in Massachusetts (which is where I lived when he was governor), and saved the 2002 winter Olympics which was about to come apart at the seams.
Senators vote (wow that’s tough) that won’t change Washington or prepare them to do much, actors act (that won’t help turn things around). We need someone like Mitt Romney to turn this train around and get-er done. None of the other candidates have spent their entire careers turning things around like governor Romney. America will lose out if we don’t take advantage of governor Romney’s expertise.
Posted by: Mike | June 3, 2007, 6:41 pm 6:41 pm
Mr. Giuliani is taking lessons from a shopworn tactic which the current President has used and used again: instill terror and fear in the electorate by constantly reminding them that the world is a bad place, that our numerous enemies are out to get us at any cost, that we need to protect ourselves no matter what the sacrifice, that we must sacrifice liberties to have security. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.”
Posted by: chuck | June 4, 2007, 8:05 am 8:05 am
We must stay on the offensive, Can anyone give a Major terrorist act against us or our allies in the last 2 years (do not count ares in the middle of war, nor around Israel)
While under Clinton the U.S. interests were attacked every year. Terrorism is a Real Threat, they have the patients to wait us out, they want us to go to sleep again and forget about them.
To ignore this shows that you have no idea what we are up against. To not fear it shows ignorance, to live in fear they win. The point is for Americans to go on with their lives but show vigilance and support the efforts of our President to protect us.
Yes and you are right on immigration, the government is badly letting us down.
The Federal governments main job (the truly only job) is to protect the US against enemies domestic and abroad. it not to run social programs, education and so forth, those are state’s jobs.
Posted by: spock | June 4, 2007, 12:04 pm 12:04 pm
mongo100 – Funny I thought libs said there are no terrorist in Iraq.
I think it is better our brave soldiers kill the terrorist over there then here. This way the ACLU can protect them.
Posted by: spock | June 4, 2007, 12:51 pm 12:51 pm
Over the past 6 years, we have been on the offensive for brief moments. Let’s not confuse doling out food, building schools, and trying to “give” freedom to Iraqis with fighting, much less waging war on the offensive.
We have made it clear that we’ll accept the deaths of our military personnel rather than risk collateral damage among non-uniformed enemies.
We can either fight Islam, or give up our liberty and our lives.
Hey Guiliani: we don’t need to create unconstitutional laws that lead to a police dictatorship to win this war.
Hey Chuck: the word “shopworn” does not change the fact that we face a very determined enemy who also happens to be vicious.
Posted by: Bearser | June 5, 2007, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm