Giuliani Now Claims To Be One of the Ground Zero Workers

Rudy Giuliani drew outrage and indignation from Sept. 11 first-responders yesterday by saying he spent as much time - or more - exposed to the site's dangers as workers who dug through the debris for the missing and the dead.

Speaking to reporters at a Cincinnati Reds ballgame he caught between fund-raisers, the GOP front-runner said he helped 9/11 families and defended himself against critics of how he managed the attack's aftermath.

"This is not a mayor or a governor or a President who's sitting in an ivory tower," Giuliani said. "I was at Ground Zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."

..."[Giuliani] is self-absorbed, arrogant and deluded," said IAFF spokesman Jeff Zack.

Self-absorbed, arrogant and deluded

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Updated On: 8/10/07 at 01:30 PM

You should probably just leave a blank to be filled in later, the list will surely grow.

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This guy is such an idiot. Every time he opens his mouth, his presidential chances sink a bit further.

Rudy is already trying to spin it.

"Mr. Giuliani clarified his comments on Mike Gallagher’s syndicated radio show this morning:

It is a major concern of mine, the health of the workers there at Ground Zero and, you know, what I was trying to say yesterday is that I empathize with them because I feel like I have that same risk. And the way I said it, I probably could have said it better, but what I was trying to say was I was there quite a bit, there are people that were there more than me, people that were [there] less than me. There were people there less than me, people on my staff, who already have had serious health consequences and they weren’t there as often as I was.
…
But I wasn’t trying to suggest a competition of any kind, which is the way it come across. And I think I could have said it better. You know, what I was saying was ‘I’m there with you.’ Gosh almighty, I was there often enough, even though they were there, people there more and people there less, but I was there often enough so that every health consequence that people have suffered, I could also be suffering. People on my staff were there with me. Some of them weren’t there as often as I was and some of them have gotten sick already.
…
Both as an individual and as a former mayor, my goal is the health of the workers there. The people who might get sick, the people who have gotten sick. Some of the people that have gotten sick were some of my close friends and some people that were on my staff that used to come down there with me. And some of them were down there more than I was and some of them were down there less than I was and they still got sick. Even people that were there less than I was. So that was the point I was trying to make. That people who have been exposed to that risk down there are entitled to be taken care of. They’re entitled to get compensation. We should give them everything. I mean they are heroes in my estimation. And what I was trying to say was even those that were there less than me and the reality is that we’re all in this together and I’m there with them and I feel that I have the same concerns that they have."

ETA: Edwards response:

"John Edwards, a Democratic candidate, is weighing in, saying that “Rudy Giuliani has taken a break from reality.” More from his statement:

It seems that Giuliani is determined to take every opportunity to exploit the memory of 9/11 for political gain, rather than honor the incredible sacrifices of our first responders. Enough is enough.

Mayor Giuliani should start answering the serious questions of why firefighters and other first responders didn’t have proper equipment and support. The 9/11 Commission and National Institute of Standards & Technology reports have documented the failures of the broken radio communications system, a splintered chain of command and an unprepared Office of Emergency Management under his watch as mayor. These are the questions he needs to answer.

NY TIMES

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Updated On: 8/10/07 at 03:00 PM

That is the most ridiculous explanation of an asinine comment I've ever heard.

*gasps*

What if HD IS GIULIANI?

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HD is ore likely, Judith Nathan. I hear he needs a seat for his pocket book, too.

What's less frequently mentioned is how brazenly Rudy has exploited 9/11 for profit. He made nearly 12 million in 14 months speaking about his own strength, his own courage, and of course, reminding us of how many funerals he attended. And oh yea, the squeegee men evaporated before 9/11. Has anyone made more of just doing his damn job?

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Except he was the mayor. And he made $12 mill off of his claims. Frankly, anyone in his position could have done at least as good a job if not better that day, and in the days, weeks, and months following.

He definitely makes me queasy as well, SorryGrateful.