Rudy: Sunnis, Shiites -- What's The Difference?

[babylonsister]

http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/apr/07/rudy_iran_behind_sept_11_attacks

Rudy: Sunnis, Shiites -- What's The Difference?
By Greg Sargent

Don't miss this New York Times piece*, in which Rudy Giuliani reveals the paucity of foreign policy experience lurking behind the haze of 9/11 mythology that envelopes "America's Mayor." The best part comes at the very end:

As for Iran, Mr. Giuliani said that “in the long term,” it might be “more dangerous than Iraq.”

He then casually lumped Iran with Al Qaeda. “Their movement has already displayed more aggressive tendencies by coming here and killing us,” he said.

Mr. Giuliani was asked in an interview to clarify that, inasmuch as Iran had no connection to the Sept. 11 attacks. Further, most of its people are Shiites, whereas Al Qaeda is an organization of Sunnis.

“They have a similar objective,” he replied, “in their anger at the modern world.”

Asked to clarify his foreign poliy experience, Rudy confided that he'd visited a lot of countries on business, and even more absurdly cited the fact that he threw Yassir Arafat out of the United Nations. Best of all, in a reference to the Sept. 11 attacks, he said the terrorists "are planning to come here and kill us," adding:

“It is something I understand better than anyone else running for president.”

Here you have the Rudy game plan laid bare. The whole subtext of all this is simple: Rudy understands on a gut level better than anyone else just how bad those damn "ragheads" can be, and he knows we need to deal with 'em. This is in a sense the chief argument Rudy is making. But, channeling Matthew Yglesias, it doesn't constitute actual knowledge about national security issues in any way, shape or form.

We've said this before and we'll say it again:. It would really stink if the media cedes Rudy the aura of foreign policy experience, based on nothing more than the fact that he happened to be Mayor of New York on that clear day more than five years ago, rather than aggressively reporting on his lack of actual such experience. Anyone wanna take bets on which way it'll go?

*NYT's piece referenced:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/07/us/politics/07rudy.html?_r=2&ref=washington&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[ingac70]

1. Wow. Rudy is as stupid as *.....

His approval ratings will triple in the Southeastern U.S. once this gets out.

[RacingBobbie]

4. Yeah, those southerns

are so stupid. Maybe it would have been better to lose the civil war and let them create their own idiotic country.

[ddeclue]

11. Speaking of stereotyping...not every Southerner is an inbred moron anymore than Tony Soprano

represents Italians or people from New Jersey.

Thanks for stereotyping us - I guess that makes you just like Giuliani doesn't it?


Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[NormanYorkstein]

10. It was all the Southerners who

elected him mayor in the first place!

[valerief]

2. Yeah, Bibles, Korans, Torahs, Constitutions, what's the difference?

All the same, too.

[mtnsnake]

3. Guiliauni proves again he's the epitome of arrogance. nt

[Forkboy]

5. I so hope he manages to get the GOP nod.

[PaDem]

7. I hope he doesn't.........

if he does, he wins.

[Forkboy]

8. I doubt it.

He can't even get his hunting stories straight yet.

http://www.comcast.net/news/politics/index.jsp?cat=POLITICS&fn=/2007/04/07/630390.html

[SOS]

6. In January 2003

Bush did not know that Shiites and Sunnis lived in Iraq.
Seems that total ignorance of the country you're destroying is a Republican trait.

[antiimperialist]

9. So it's not Ahmenijad, but ALL Shia who hate modern world

This according to Giuliani.

I guess we don't have to save the oppressed iranian people, since they share a common goal with the Iranian president.

This statement makes me happy in a way. It shows that Republicans are so dumb they are an easy target for the right Clinton, Obama or Edwards.

[Jennicut]

12. Rudy you are sooo smart!!!

NOT! And there are idiots everywhere. Joe Loserman is my senator after all.

[sutz12]

13. "They hate us for our freedoms"

Same shit, different asshole.

[krispos42]

14. So if I note that he's family is from Spain instead of Italy...

Or say he lives in New Jersey instead of New York, or he was the mayor of New Haven instead of New York...

What's the difference, right?