Rudy Roughs Up Arabs

The New York Times ^ | 10/17/07 | Maureen Dowd

[yorkie]

Now comes “Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.”

David Horowitz’s conservative Freedom Center has designated next week the time to “break through the barrier of politically correct doublespeak that prevails on American campuses, if you want to help our brave troops, who are fighting the Islamo-Fascists abroad.”

The Freedom Center’s terrorism awareness program is urging college students to stage sit-ins outside the offices of women’s studies departments to protest “the silence of feminists over the oppression of women in Islam” and to distribute pamphlets on Islamo-Fascism. Their titles include “The Islamic Mein Kampf,” “Why Israel is the Victim” and “Jimmy Carter’s War Against the Jews.”

Even before Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week, the Republican presidential candidates were pitching in yesterday at the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory 2008 Forum here.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed this about the Democratic debates,” Rudy Giuliani said, “but they never use the word ‘Islamic terrorist.’ Ever.”

“They have a very hard time getting those words out of their mouth,” he continued, to the delight of his listeners. “I think it’s quite clear to me now, having listened to seven or eight of their debates, that they think it’s politically incorrect to say the words. I don’t know exactly who they think they’re offending. I don’t know what kind of view of the world they have. I understand when I say ‘Islamic terrorism,’ I’m not offending all of Islam. I’m not offending all of the Arab world. I’m offending exactly who I want to offend and making it clear to them that we stand against them.”

As the phlegmatic Fred Thompson plummeted in the polls and made a lackluster appearance at the forum, a juiced Mr. Giuliani preened in front of an audience that loved him.

[ml/nj]

Having listened to Rudy for years, It seems quite clear that he will say anything, to please anybody.

You know, I think you are mostly right. The only unimportant exception that comes to mind is the dispute over the Mafia fireworks show in Queens. But does that make him different from other politicians? (How 'bout "No nation building"?) What impresses some of us about Rudy are some of the things he has done. He clearly is an executive and a leader. (Good or bad, depending upon where he leads, I'll agree.) He inherited and completely reversed the Dinkins Disaster when he took over as mayor in NYC. His leadership during and after the 9/11 attack on the City was inspirational. So many things were handled well that we sort of take it for granted that a smooth recovery was a given, but it doesn't take too much imagination to see debris still on the streets of Lower Manhattan with even average leadership. There are other actions that give one hope like the rejection of Arafat and the Saudi Prince. Talk is cheap, and probably should be discounted. It is a politician's record, good or bad, that should be examined.

ML/NJ

[roses of sharon]

Good point, political correctness in our pols is killing us.

[Night Hides Not]

There are two votes in my life that I truly regret:

1. Voting for Jimmy Carter in 1976.

2. Voting for Rick Perry last year.

Nice choice of words for Fred: "phlegmatic", and he's "plummeting in the polls". As usual, Mo's slip is showing again.

[shrinkermd]

I really liked this:

He also bored in where Obama has been skittish about going: her experience. “Honestly, in most respects, I don’t know Hillary’s experience. She’s never run a city. She’s never run a state. She’s never run a business. She has never met a payroll. She has never been responsible for the safety and security of millions of people, much less even hundreds of people.”