NY firemen blast Giuliani over 9/11 decisions

[mason-free party]

Giuliani sells part of consulting firm


NEW YORK (AP) - Republican hopeful Rudy Giuliani is selling off the
investment banking arm of his consulting firm to an Australian company, his
company said Monday.
Giuliani Capital Advisors LLC, a 2 1/2-year-old firm offering advice on
business and investment banking, will be acquired by Macquarie Group of Sydney,
Australia. Financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.
The former New York City mayor's business interests have come under closer
scrutiny lately as he has emerged as the front-runner for the 2008 GOP
nomination in most national polls.
Exact details about the sale were not immediately clear, but the decision to
shed the firm is yet another sign of Giuliani's seriousness about the race. An
official at Giuliani Partners LLP, the former mayor's consulting firm, said the
sale will give him more time to focus on his presidential candidacy.
Giuliani has earned millions through his consulting firm, other business
interests and his high-priced speaking appearances since leaving office in 2001.
He recently said he will stop accepting invitations to give paid speeches.
It is largely through his post-Sept. 11 popularity that he built up Giuliani
Partners, which focuses on emergency preparedness and public safety. He is also
a partner at Bracewell & Giuliani, a well-established law firm best known for
its energy company clients.
Giuliani Capital Advisors, formerly the investment banking arm of accounting
firm Ernst & Young LLP, was acquired by Giuliani Partners in 2004. It has over
100 employees in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Michigan.
"Joining the Macquarie team will allow the professionals of GCA to benefit
from the vast resources of a leading global investment bank," Giuliani said in a
statement.

[mason-free party]

Terrorist Act Will Make Giuliani President

Newsmax | March 5, 2007

Rudy Giuliani told Larry King last month that he was running for president before setting off on a series of carefully staged campaign events around the country to prove the point. Just showing that he meant it gave Giuliani a serious bump in the polls and worried his rivals. After a slow start, Giuliani's candidacy has gained ground in recent weeks. In the new Newsweek Poll, Giuliani leads Sen. John McCain by 25 points (59 to 34 percent) as the choice of registered Republicans and voters leaning Republican for the party's nomination, while former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney trails both men by more than 30 points.

"I have thought for the longest time that [Giuliani] had zero chance," an aide to another Republican candidate who asked for anonymity talking up the chances of his boss's rival, tells Newsweek. "But he's got real momentum. And if there's a terrorist attack between now and the election, he could be the next president of the United States."

In the March 12 Newsweek cover, "The Real Rudy," (on newsstands Monday, March 5), Senior Writer and Political Correspondent Jonathan Darman profiles Giuliani, the man who came to be known as "America's Mayor" following 9/11. Darman reports that the former mayor's life story is that of a man with a righteous sense of right and wrong and who excels when the world presents him with a crisis, and, when left to his own devices, creates crises for himself.

Darman examines what America will make of the real Giuliani, who still may need to win over social conservatives as he begins his campaign. "I can guarantee you that the majority of Southern Baptists will not vote for Giuliani," says Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. "President Truman said he would never hire someone who cheated on his wife, because if a person breaks his marriage oath he could also break his oath of office."

"Giuliani is highly respected by lots of Americans because of his leadership after 9/11," says Gary Bauer, president of the conservative nonprofit organization American Values. "In fact, there is evidence that it might be the only thing people could tell you about him." A particular weakness for Giuliani may be gun control, a cause he advocated again and again as part of his crimefighting plan in New York. Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, asks: "The question is, do you need someone who is 100 percent on these issues, or someone who reaches a threshold? He wouldn't be polling so well if he wasn't coming close to a certain threshold."

[WhoKilledBambi?]

Giuliani to run for President of 9/11

"NEW YORK—At a well-attended rally in front of his new Ground Zero headquarters Monday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani officially announced his plan to run for president of 9/11.

"My fellow citizens of 9/11, today I will make you a promise," said Giuliani during his 18-minute announcement speech in front of a charred and torn American flag. "As president of 9/11, I will usher in a bold new 9/11 for all."

If elected, Giuliani would inherit the duties of current 9/11 President George W. Bush, including making grim facial expressions, seeing the world's conflicts in terms of good and evil...

"Let us all remember how we felt on that day, with the world watching our every move, waiting on our every word," said Giuliani, flanked by several firefighters, ex-New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, and Judith Nathan, his third wife. "With a campaign built on traditional 9/11 values, and with the help of every citizen who believes in the 9/11 dream, I want to make 9/11 great again."

According to Washington–based political analyst Gregory Hammond, Giuliani's candidacy "should not be underestimated."

"Sure, he has no foreign or national policy experience, and both his personal life and political career are riddled with scandal," said Hammond. "But in the key area of having been on TV on 9/11, the other candidates simply cannot match him. And as we saw in 2004, that's what matters most to voters in this post-9/11 world."


Giuliani's pro-9/11 message seems to be resonating with potential voters. Said Ames, IA voter Alan Benoit: "I remember seeing Rudolph Giuliani's face, on television, saying reassuring things during a highly emotional moment filled with fear and confusion. He's got my vote."...

Giuliani said it is too early to discuss potential running mates, though he refused to rule out the possibility of naming a twisted, half-melted aluminum beam, an FDNY ball cap, or even John McCain. . .

"Letting 9/11 fall into the hands of the Democrats in 2008 would be nothing short of a national tragedy," Giuliani said. "Ever since 9/11 was founded that fateful day on 9/11, 9/11 has stood for one thing: 9/11."