My favorite Giuliani story
What's to like?
By krempasky Posted in 2008 | arafat | giuliani | Rudy | terrorism — Comments (27) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
There's a lot to dislike about Rudy Giuliani from a conservative perspective. Much has been said here at RS about that. At the same time, there's much to like about Rudy as a leader and a politician. Dan McLaughlin did, I think the best job of outlining those reasons here.
But my favorite Rudy story dates all the way back to 1995, and involves Yassar Arafat, the Clinton White House, a fawning UN community, and a theater.
" A day after Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani expelled Yasir Arafat from a concert for world leaders at Lincoln Center, the Clinton Administration sharply criticized the Mayor yesterday for what Washington officials called an embarrassing breach of international diplomacy.
Mr. Giuliani, clearly relishing the controversy, insisted that he could never forgive and play host to Mr. Arafat even though the Palestinian leader has been embraced as a peacemaker by the Israeli and United States Governments. "
Read on.
While Arafat's star has lost much of its shine in most political conversation, it's important to remember all those open arms that embraced him in the 90's. (putting aside, even, the absurdity of the Peace Prize) But even back then - even in a town that plays host to leaders from around the world - Rudy spoke with a rare and welcome clarity.
"But the Mayor, explaining his decision yesterday, called Mr. Arafat a murderer and terrorist, and said he was not impressed by the fact that Mr. Arafat had twice been invited to the White House to sign the Middle East peace accords, or that he shared the Nobel Peace Prize."I would not invite Yasir Arafat to anything, anywhere, anytime, anyplace," Mr. Giuliani said at a news conference yesterday. "I don't forget."
Mr. Giuliani said his antipathy toward Mr. Arafat -- like his antipathy toward the Cuban leader Fidel Castro -- went back to his days as a Federal prosecutor. As United States Attorney, he investigated several terrorist incidents to which the P.L.O. was linked, including the hijacking in 1985 of the Achille Lauro cruise ship. As far as he was concerned, the Mayor said, the statute of limitations on those incidents has not run out.
"He has never been held to answer for the murders that he was implicated in," the Mayor said. "The U.N. is one thing, the peace process is another thing. When we're having a party and a celebration, I would rather not have someone who has been implicated in the murders of Americans there, if I have the discretion not to have him there."
How refreshing is it to have someone on the national political stage that was willing to kick conventional politeness in the face over the simple principle that if it walks like a terrorist, and talks like a terrorist, it probably ought not be invited to dinner?
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My favorite Giuliani story 27 Comments (0 topical, 27 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
There are specific issues where I have disagrements with Giuliani, but looking at the big picture, Rudy clearly has a conservative worldview.
Giuliani had the courage to call Arafat what he is, a terrorist. A liberal would never call a spade a spade.
"Back in the thirties we were told we must collectivize the nation because the people were so poor. Now we are told we must collectivize the nation because the people are so rich. "
William F. Buckley, Jr.
conservative cause. The man is supremely competent and absolutely "Reality Based". Theres no nonsense from this man.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
erp
Let's remember the traitor/murderer, Patrick Leahy, who's still sitting in the senate and chairing the Judiciary Committee.
I am from Israel, and my parents and uncle fought in 1967 and 1973. Several years ago, a bomb blew up a bus on the route I used to take regularly when I was a child - right at the commercial center I used to hang out in (the central Carmel, top of the Carmelit line). Perhaps in spite of this, or perhaps because of this, I find Rudy's inflexibility troubling, even scary if he were to become President.
The Israeli leader I admired most in my lifetime was Yitchak Rabin, who fought Arafat, hated Arafat, and considered him a bitter enemy... yet shook his hand.
- "One does not make peace with one's friends, one makes peace with one's enemies," Rabin said.
Ending war sometimes requires a leap of faith, and Rabin had the capability to do it. If he had not been murdered, by a crazy fanatic who considered himself conservative but was really just in love with his inflexible hatred, Rabin would likely have succeeded.
(Shimon Peres, unfortunately, did not have the skill or credibility to pull it off, and Benjamin Netanyahu threw it away.)
Especially since he wouldn't shake Rabin's hand after Rabin shook Arafat's.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
he would not have shaken Arafat's hand except that a U.S. President, eyes firmly on the prize of his own legacy, forced the issue. To have refused to shake the terrorist's hand after Clinton (Bill) pushed the two together would have ruined the hope for some sort of peace for which Rabin had so naively worked.
One could not make a peace with Arafat.
Your relatives fought what in '67 and '72?
And how would my relatives be relevant ?
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
was to believe that Arafat could be taken at his word, ie: that he sought a peace that included a functioning State of Israel.
Unfortunately, most in the West - and I include Israel in that group - choose to believe that those across the table from us will act in the same way we would. That's just not the case. Golda Meir was right when she said, "We will have peace when the Palestinians think more of their children than they do of wiping out Israel." [a poor paraphrase]
IMO, the two biggest mistakes that Ronald Reagan made were not pursuing Hezbollah after the Marine Barracks and stopping the IDF from killing every last member of the PLO when they had them bottled up in Beruit.
Some people need to taken at their word. Islamic terrorist organizations have made it very clear that their overriding goal is the destruction of the State of Israel and the West. They have repeatedly said that they are willing to die to make that goal happen. We should do everything in our power to accommodate them.
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
Sounds like you amalgamized two of her famous quotes:
"Peace will come when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us."
and
"When peace comes, we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons. But it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill theirs."
Thanks for the exact wording, I knew it was a bad paraphrase. Golda is on my list of greatest people of the 20th Century, right there with Maggie and Ron.
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
But it seems there is already someone who has said what I've been saying. Guess I need to look up some background for Golda Miers...
There are those who look on Dresden and Tokyo and Hiroshima as some of the greatest evils ever perpetrated by man. I look on them and thank the perpetrators for saving millions.
My co-worker is from New Jersey and said that one of his concerns with Guiliani is that he could be a rather combative personality.
In fact, for those of you who were looking for a Rumsfield/Bolton ticket, Guiliani (at least from the bull dog point of view) should be your guy.
Signature disclaimer: I'm not currently paid by any campaign, but I am available. Current preferences for President: 1) F.Thompson; 2) Romney; 3) Guiliani; 4) McCain; 5) Gingrich
My co-worker is from New Jersey and said that one of his concerns with Guiliani is that he could be a rather combative personality.
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After eight years of Bush, I cannot wait for a Republican President who as a matter or principle flips the bird to editors of the New York Times (as well as every other Press outlet) each and every single day of his Presidency.
In fact, it is precisely Rudy's brutally combative personality that makes him a viable choice for me.
Partisanship is good ...
the Editors of the NYT would be sitting in jail for contempt regarding who leaked what to who.
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Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
not somebody who wants to reach out to the other side and compromise conservative principles in an attempt to make the other side like him.
This is one thing I think GUliani would be good on, and one of the reasons I haven't eliminated him as a possible candidate in spite of his social liberal positions (and the gun thing). Guliani isn't a RINO-not in the sense of the Chaffees and Collins' He just doesn't quite line up with my beliefs.
But I do think he could be trusted to not lay down and play doormat for the democrats on the Hill and the MSM.
Just me says->"This is one thing I think GUliani would be good on, and one of the reasons I haven't eliminated him as a possible candidate in spite of his social liberal positions (and the gun thing). Guliani isn't a RINO-not in the sense of the Chaffees and Collins' He just doesn't quite line up with my beliefs."
Rudy's no RINO. More like a democrat in the wilderness.
He's still a pro-abort, gun grabbing authoritarian who is likely to nominate the kind of justices to the Supreme Court that would make me cringe. IMHO of course.
If the nomination doesn't provide a real conservative for the 2008 election I will be forced to look outside the GOP for someone who shares my values.
Why choose "electability" when it results in the kind of person I wouldn't want to be elected?
I like Giuliani, but I could never vote for him.
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He has already made, and continues to make, the promise that he will nominate constructionalists to the SCOTUS. HE believe in abortion, but he does not believe it appears in the Constitution as a protected right.
I don't have an answer on the guns, though. I don't know enough about him to guess where he'd go with that one. I doubt he'd go for them nationwide, but I don't recall him saying anything about it thus far in the current campaign...
I don't agree with him on several issues, but he is very much at odds with the Dem establishment and the media. He knows how to get things done. And he won't back down or allow anyone to walk on him. He also stands in the right spot on the GWOT.
There are those who look on Dresden and Tokyo and Hiroshima as some of the greatest evils ever perpetrated by man. I look on them and thank the perpetrators for saving millions.
It's intellectually lazy and dangerous to dovetail the Israel/Palenstine conflict with our war on terror. We lose credibility and systematically look stupid when we do so.
Also, Rudy's grandstanding is troubling. It shows ego and lack of judgement. If Mayor Villaraigosa or Mayor Gavin kicked out John Howard or some foreign dipomat that the Left hated out their respective cities, what would conservatives think. It's not about equivocating the two, it's about mayors meddling in international affairs. Rudy wasn't on "the national political stage" as you stated. He was a mayor. It was stupid. It had no purpose other than showmanship.
Idealism has no place in the hard realities associated with international geopolitics. We armed Saddam to create dissension with Iran. Right this minute, we are defending and propping up a democratically elected Iraqi government that is boycotting Israel and supporting the Hamas government. I suppose Rudy would kick Maliki out of the U.S for supporting Hamas.
We've engaged in diploacy with many dictators and murders. It's an ugly, but necessary truth. If FDR never alligned the U.S. with Stalin, Hitler would not have bee nbeaten. The Left often accuses Reagan of cozying up to dictators and tyrants to fight communism. So what.
I'd be scared if Rudy and his supporters think this type of behavior will succeed on the global stage. It's not cool or principled. It's ridiculous.
Giuliani didn't try to kick out Arafat because he disagreed with him over some petty idelogical issue, he did it because he knows Arafat has devoted his entire life to murdering Jews and wiping Israel off the face of the Earth. There's a big difference.
It is grandstanding, but that's what leaders sometimes need to do. It was a vocal and appropriate protest to a monster that no one had dared to criticize, the Nobel-Peace Prize carrying Arafat was suppossed to be untouchable.
Giuliani is definitely not going to roll over the way Bush has to his enemies. He's a fighter, and that's what I admire about him.
"Back in the thirties we were told we must collectivize the nation because the people were so poor. Now we are told we must collectivize the nation because the people are so rich. "
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Mitt Romney took pretty much the same stance by not allowing any state resources to be used to protect a former Iranian president during his visit to the Boston.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/09/06/romne...
has been a New Yorker too long (inbred liberalism). I do not think that he can get away from his background and confront the differences between him and the more conservative states.
While I believe that he would be a hawk on foreign affairs, his much too liberal stances on other issues leaves me cold...but yes, I would still vote for him over Hillary or Obama if it comes down to that.
Certainly not my first choice... Hunter (low chance), Gingrich (low chance) or Thompson (higher chance) would be my first choices.
Formally known as Deagle... "Golf is a way of life..."
"With the President out of sight for most of that day, Giuliani became the voice of America. Every time he spoke, millions of people felt a little better. His words were full of grief and iron, inspiring New York to inspire the nation. "Tomorrow New York is going to be here," he said. "And we're going to rebuild, and we're going to be stronger than we were before...I want the people of New York to be an example to the rest of the country, and the rest of the world, that terrorism can't stop us."
http://www.time.com/time/poy2001/poyprofile.html
Although I disagree with some of this man's social views his immpeccable leadership qualities is what this nation needs most during the War on Terror. He will definitely get my vote unless Fred Thompson enters the race.
This is one of my favorite Guiliani moments.
New York rejects Saudi millions
Rudy is the man for so many reasons. Check out his new and pretty cool website www.joinrudy.com
United States Air Force
http://airforcepundit.blogspot.com
Considering the people Giuliani went after as a federal prosecutor, and even as mayor, and how some of those folks typically settled their scores, Giuliani put himself at some physical risk as well.