Guliani: Snappy, Pithy and Wrong

Mr. Guliani's speech last night at the GOP Convention was effective. I watched it with my girlfriend, who said "it almost makes you like George Bush." Scary.

After one of Guliani's many attacks on Kerry, my girlfriend also asked "did Kerry really call himself the anti-war candidate?". I wonder how many people thought the exact same thing. I also wonder how many people made the effort to check into what Guliani was talking about. See, Mr. Guliani was not being honest with the American people. In fact, as Saletan points out, all of Guliani's attacks on Kerry were rooted in dishonest spin.

For weeks, the Bush campaign has claimed that Kerry called himself an "antiwar"
candidate on Iraq. Chris Matthews, the interviewer who actually used that word,
has pointed out that Kerry did not. Other news organizations, including Slate,
have noted that Kerry said he opposed the war as Bush conducted it, not
categorically. Giuliani doesn't care. He repeats that Kerry "declared himself as
the antiwar candidate." Putting more words in Kerry's mouth, Giuliani says the
senator claimed "that certain foreign leaders who opposed our removal of
Saddam Hussein prefer him" to Bush. And referring to Kerry's claim that he
voted "for the $87 billion [for postwar Iraq appropriations] before I voted
against it," Giuliani jokes that Kerry needs two Americas so that in the second
America, "he can vote against exactly the same thing" he voted for in the first
America. The delegates roar their approval, but it's a lie. What Kerry voted for
was an alternative that would have paid for the $87 billion by rolling back
Bush's tax cut.

Saletan's blog also burns down to the core of Guliani's message and exposes it for the troubling paen to Bush's blundering stubborness that it is.

In a time of war, Giuliani concludes, "Americans should put leadership at the
core of their decision. There are many qualities that make a great leader, but
having strong beliefs, being able to stick with them through popular and
unpopular times, is the most important characteristic of a great leader." No.
The most important characteristic of a great leader is being right. And the most
important characteristic of a great speaker—contrary to the view of my
colleagues who are raving about Giuliani's speech—is being honest. Bush wasn't
right, and Giuliani isn't honest, and no amount of bullheadedness can make up
for that.

Amen.

Oh, and to stifle disagreement, this entry is dedicated to 9/11.