@ Joseph West Just FYI Joseph, even though she got beaten handily by Adolph — er, I mean — Rudolph Giuliani in the 1997 NYC mayoral election, Ruth Messinger WAS 100% ON THE MONEY in her characterization of Giuliani: “He takes care of Wall Street, but not your street”. I can’t recall any NYC mayor in history who ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY PAMPERED Wall Street the way Giuliani did with HUMONGOUS TAX BREAKS! It’s NO ACCIDENT why New York City today has become VERY POLARIZED, i.e. there is virtually NO MIDDLE CLASS.

’Nuff said.

Teabagger Repugs can’t find Benghazi on a map. But they know it’s a “scandal” because Fux Noise continually says it is. And they feel it is useful as a convenient club against potential Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Darrell Firebug Issa helps keep the “scandal” alive with eternal Congressional hearings that disclose nothing new. Issa has a fascination with burning buildings ever since his car alarm factory conveniently burned down years ago and left him a huge fire insurance settlement.

Joe Marsh, I really don’t remember Ms Messinger (I’m not a New Yorker so my political knowledge of the City isn’t all that deep) but I really dislike your slur (and there is NOT another word for it) of Bella Abzug. Ms Abzug was right up there with Shirley Chisholm and Barbara Mikulski and Ann Richards as no-nonsense women who were passionate about their politics. For you to label her as “a screeching, knee jerk liberal” as you did (and don’t weasel around, bud—“from the same mold” puts that label on Abzug as well) is nothing less than a misogynistic attack—one that YOU need to apologize for.

You wrote that you were one of those “liberal” New Yorkers. Now, given your attack on the memory of Ms Abzug, I’m guessing that you were using the term ironically. Also, I believe that you deliberately chose to ignore Giuliani’s “true colors” since the man had run in 1993 to “clean up” the city and he did it during his FIRST term (not sure where you thought it was “early in his second term”). As for his ties to Kerik, most of the “dirt” on Kerik didn’t emerge until YEARS after he’d been out of office. His divorce and how he handled it really had NOTHING to do with his performance as mayor (and the fact that the man had been married previously and had it annulled should’ve been a red flag).

And as to his “worst sin,” bear in mind that New York law PERMITTED his effort. Article III, Section 25 of the New York Constitution states,

“Notwithstanding any other provision of this constitution, the legislature, in order to insure continuity of state and local governmental operations in periods of emergency caused by enemy attack or by disasters (natural or otherwise), shall have the power and the immediate duty (1) to provide for prompt and temporary succession to the powers and duties of public offices, of whatever nature and whether filled by election or appointment, the incumbents of which may become unavailable for carrying on the powers and duties of such offices, and (2) to adopt such other measures as may be necessary and proper for insuring the continuity of governmental operations.

Nothing in this article shall be construed to limit in any way the power of the state to deal with emergencies arising from any cause."

His threats to the mayoral primary candidates notwithstanding, Giuliani did abide by the wishes of the State’s Assembly and Senate which found no extension was necessary and he did step down as required.

Jane S: “I remain baffled why New Yorkers bought his act for as long as they did.”

Well, as one of those “liberal” New Yorkers who voted for this jerk twice, my own reasons are probably best understood by those who share my jaded view of local politics.

We had suffered through four years of David Dinkins, the Democrat party hack chosen by the Harlem machine. Dinkins’ most noteworthy accomplishments as mayor probably were the tennis matches he won.

For Giuliani’s second win, he was facing Ruth Messenger, a screeching, knee jerk liberal from the same mold that produced Bella Abzug (anyone remember her).

But it wasn’t long into his second term that Rudy’s true colors emerged.

• He claimed to have cleaned up the city (still does), mainly by ordering thousands of police round up a small handful of mostly harmless squeegee men.

• He was much too close to convicted felon (and former Police Commissioner) Bernard Kerick

• He divorced his wife via the public media, before she knew about it.

• He was shameless in politicizing non political events, like the time he brought a campaigning George W. Bush to speak at the annual firefighters memorial ceremony (in the fall of 2010).

• His one moment of glory came about only by accident; he was caught by the cameras and microphones walking, somewhat dazed, north from Ground Zero. Giuliani collected his thoughts and spoke calmly. He got the world’s attention because Dubya was flying in the opposite direction, and Pataki the jerk Governor was cowering in an upstate basement. Rudy has never let a single day pass without reminding the world that he was (is?) 9/11’s Mayor.

• His worst sin, in my opinion, was trying to suspend New York laws and the constitution by extending his term because he felt Bloomberg wasn’t equipped to deal with the WTC aftermath so soon. No wonder many of us labeled him as Mayor Mussolini!

Do I regret voting for Giuliani twice? You bet I do!

We miss Tutti Frutti Rudi. This cafeteria Catholic is one of the funniest stand-up comedians in NYC. Everything he says leaves us in stitches.

Ellen— great tweet on The Donald. What a maroon he is.

As for Benghazi security, it’s hard to tell the real deal from Fox and nobody else is paying attention to Benghazi! for good reason, but Fox seems to have gotten copies of some correspondence from Stevens asking for more security.

I guess I’m kind of squeamish about blaming Stevens for this, so I may be a sitting duck for Fox agitprop about that one aspect of this.

Rudy sez

Blah blah blah. Cheque Please!!!

I thought Chris Stevens had nixed more security, but I could be wrong.

I probably won’t get to a post about Donald Trump but here’s my Tweet: How did @realdonaldtrump get to be an expert on Syria for Fox News? Because Orly Taitz wasn’t available?

https://twitter.com/NewsHoundEllen/status/378341778933301248

Aria, right, but the State Department people have said repeatedly that lack of funds wasn’t the reason they didn’t put more security in Benghazi. They simply blew it— in hindsight. Though it’s frankly not clear to me how additional security would have made any difference. It comes down to a matter of policy, whether we should put all our embassies and consulates in fortified underground bunkers.

It’s remotely possible that a handful of extra good security guys might have saved Stevens’s life, but they couldn’t have stopped or repelled the RPG attack on the consulate or the mortars thrown at the CIA annex.

Giuliani is literally about the most useless “analyst” of this stuff out there. Pat Buchanan was actually reasonably close to Reagan when this kind of stuff was being debated and discussed, and even Allen West, as a disgraced military guy and one-term congressman has had some contact with it. But Giuliani? I remain baffled why New Yorkers bought his act for as long as they did.

And how about that Donald Trump, who came after Giuliani on Greta’s show to offer his own “analysis” of Putin and Obama. She must have him on so often because her audience likes him, but my God, you’d think even Greta would see through him eventually.

Also not mentioned? That $300 million in embassy security was rejected by Republicans the year before.

And that, when that was brought up, they decided that shouldn’t be part of the investigation.

Saw him on Greta and hope to post about it tomorrow but I’ve got quite a long list of posts to do from tonight. So heading to bed now.

And btw, you should have heard that utter idiot Giuliani on Greta this evening instructing Obama about how to handle Syria and Putin— you know, that fantastic foreign policy genius who was once long ago now the mayor of New York.

Not to mention that the myth that Benghazi survivors are being hidden from Congress by the government was busted big-time by GOP House Intel Committee chairman Mike Rogers at an event I dropped in on on Cspan today.

He said almost all of these people are undercover operatives who have long since gone back to work and are scattered all over the world, but that the committee has been able to interview — in secret because of their jobs — all but 2 or 3 of them.

He was utterly unperturbed about Benghazi! Benghazi! except to express some (justified IMO) criticism for the crappy security at the consulate.

Not that Cavuto corrected him or anything.