September 6, 2008
Election 2008: Rudy Giuliani in the news
Coverage: Eye on the White House
BEST OF SPIN CYCLE
During his speech last night, McCain was interrupted several times by protesters. The crowd chanted "USA" to drown them out. Cameras showed them being dragged out. McCain handled it with aplomb: "Don't be diverted by ground noise and static!"
Could Palin handle 9/11 attacks? Depends who you ask
When ex-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said yesterday that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's experience as a mayor and governor gave her the experience to handle a disaster such as the 2001 terror attacks, the comment didn't surprise the Port Authority police union president.
Giuliani's spirited attack on Obama: 'He led nothing'
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Ridiculing Sen. Barack Obama, citing the Sept. 11 attacks anew and suggesting that freedom and safety depend on John McCain's election, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani stirred the convention hall as a buildup to Sarah Palin, the vice-presidential candidate, last night's main event.
TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Republican presidential nominee John McCain delivers his acceptance speech as the national Republican convention concludes a tumultuous week.
RNC 2008: TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Although events remain fluid and the convention's schedule was changing often, John McCain's vice-presidential nominee, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is expected to make her acceptance speech tonight. While pundits and commentators have questioned her relative lack of experience, Palin's speech takes on new meaning after she revealed on Monday that her teenage daughter is pregnant.
If only the fans could jump the car traffic
Even for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, there's no way around the traffic clogging the Hamptons' roads over Labor Day weekend.
Long Island Republicans resigned to convention delay
MINNEAPOLIS - Long Islanders arrived here for a four-day Republican pep rally only to have Hurricane Gustav blow away the hoopla from a distance. They expressed concern for Gulf residents first, but when pressed on the politics, they admitted regret that their party will miss a big chance to showcase its standard-bearers.
TODAY'S PICKS
TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (8 p.m., TCM) (Drama, 1983) - A spunky woman (Shirley MacLaine) babies her daughter (Debra Winger), then her ex-astronaut neighbor (Jack Nicholson).
Key role for America's mayor
Rudy Giuliani, the fast-moving conventional wisdom now has it, is the wrong choice to deliver the keynote address at the Republican convention in St. Paul this week. The New York and Long Island native who's never been more than a mayor was debunked as a national figure, goes the thinking, by his poor performance in the GOP primaries, where he'd once been the favorite.
THE REPUBLICANS: VIEWERS GUIDE TO THE CONVENTION
The Republican National Convention begins tomorrow in St. Paul, Minn., where Arizona Sen. John McCain and the GOP will begin their counterpunch to the Democrats' week in the media spotlight. Republicans will seek to distance themselves from the perceived negatives of the George W. Bush years while capitalizing on the many issues on which he and McCain agree. Bush himself speaks tomorrow night and Rudy Giuliani keynotes Tuesday, with McCain's surprise running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, talking Wednesday and McCain on Thursday. (Events may change because of Hurricane Gustav.) Here is a look at important moments from past conventions and what to watch for this week.
Rudy, Republicans hammer at Obama's experience
DENVER - Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared a few miles from the convention hall where Barack Obama was to be nominated and cited past statements from Giuliani's twice would-be rival Hillary Rodham Clinton to make his case for Sen. John McCain.
Obama hopes Biden can fill in the blanks
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama is hoping Joe Biden can be all the things he's not in this campaign.
ON THE TRAIL
Rudy Giuliani won't just be the keynote speaker at the Republican convention. He's going to Denver during the Democrats' gathering next week to try to get the GOP message out. Giuliani is one of about two dozen Republicans who will set up shop near the Pepsi Center during the Democrats' big week. He's due to appear at a Wednesday news conference to make the case Barack Obama isn't ready to be commander-in-chief, the GOP announced.
Giuliani the keynote speaker at GOP convention
WASHINGTON - By making Rudy Giuliani the Republican Convention's keynote speaker yesterday, presumptive GOP nominee John McCain hopes to lure independent voters, but might find the former New York City mayor also tends to draw controversy.
James Klurfeld: Will political drama outstrip Olympics?
Like a lot of you, I've spent most of my evenings the past two weeks, late into the night, watching the summer Olympics from China.
Mark Herrmann: LI GOLFBEAT: History echoes at Friar's Head
Judging only from some of the open, emerald fairways, you might think you were in Ireland. Judging from the views that encompass both tall trees and water, you might think you were at Pebble Beach. Judging from the general ambience, as Champions Tour player Loren Roberts recently did, you could say you were in heaven.
Ex-mayor David Dinkins doing well after heart surgery
Former New York Mayor David Dinkins looked forward to returning home after having surgery in Manhattan yesterday to have a pacemaker implanted, a spokesman for the city's first black mayor said.
Golfer Andrew Giuliani tees off in Met Amateur contest
It was barely 9 a.m., but the day looked promising. First, a thwack and a solid opening drive. Then a few precision putts. Other golfers complimented his strokes. By the fifth hole, Andrew Giuliani already had a birdie on his scorecard.
Hillary Clinton roll-call vote unlikely at convention
In the end, it would make little sense to push a symbolic roll-call vote for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton at the Democratic National Convention in three weeks as some suggested - especially since she's now due to deliver the keynote address, several of her home-state supporters said last week.
Details emerge on Andrew Giuliani's suit against Duke
An apple almost killed Snow White, Adam ran into trouble when he ate one, and Andrew Giuliani says one reason cited by a Duke University coach for removing him from the school's golf team was that he tossed the forbidden fruit at a teammate.
Ellis Henican: Andrew Giuliani files lawsuit against Duke
Andrew Giuliani has hit a rough patch in his drive to become a pro golfer - being tossed off the Duke University golf team, his lawyers say, over "unfounded accusations" and a coach's "bizarre Lord of the Flies scheme."
Is McCain ready to announce his running mate?
ROCHESTER, N.H. - Yet another town-hall meeting isn't doing the trick. Neither is dropping in on a former Republican president.
Local Republicans seen as possible governor candidates
For the moment, the biggest Long Island names in statewide politics belong to Thomas DiNapoli, the Democratic state comptroller, and Dean Skelos, the Senate's GOP majority leader. Fast forward to the 2010 governor's race, and at least five regional names pop out of the rumor mill, on the Republican side.
McCain takes in Yankees game with Giuliani
With Democrat Barack Obama on the other side of the planet, Republican presidential candidate John McCain stayed closer to home yesterday, visiting Yankee Stadium with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Bishop, McCarthy have more cash on hand than opponents
WASHINGTON - Mineola Mayor Jack Martins may be a long shot to topple Rep. Carolyn McCarthy - but he's raised nearly as much as the six-term incumbent in the past three months, according to new federal campaign filings.
Impact of trial's sex revelations on Cook's career?
If former President Bill Clinton could remain a respected figure even after testifying about having phone sex with a White House intern, then Peter Cook need not worry too much about what will become of his professional life after the salacious revelations of his divorce trial, a prominent divorce lawyer said yesterday.
9-11 Memorial
Thirteen days after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Yankee Stadium was site of an inter- faith prayer service and group hug featuring prominent politicians, religious leaders and a crowd of approximately 50,000. Cardinal Edward Egan, Imam Izak-El M. Pasha, Rabbi Arthur Schneier and the Rev. Calvin O. Butts were in attendance along with former President Bill Clinton, Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Fame can make celebrities' divorces more trying
Fame, money, attention - some things come easier to those who make their livings in the public eye. Not divorce, in which the well-known face the same tribulations as everyone else, plus some extra.
Josh Peck gets serious in 'Wackness'
Josh Peck is glad to be back amid the noise, crowds and cabs. He's a New Yorker, born and bred, raised by his mom in Hell's Kitchen. But at 14, he moved to Los Angeles when he was cast in Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show." He soon got his own series - the zany, volume-pumped "Drake & Josh," with Drake Bell.
Walk the planks: A Long Island boardwalk tour
Sun, sea breezes and forgiving, easy-on-the-joints surfaces: Is there any better place for your walk, jog or bike ride than one of Long Island's boardwalks?
SPIN CYCLE: Ex-LIPA chief may win this power play
The resignation of New York Power Authority's chief executive appears related, in some measure, to an uproar over the agency's former inspector general, who's the focus of a widely publicized state-police probe headed by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.
Voters: Bloomberg would be good fit for governor
ALBANY - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may not want to be governor, but he hasn't convinced voters.
Casting backward glances can throw you off balance
Looking backward for clues to the future has its limits.
May 22: Catholic abortion politics, SUNY merger, Suffolk health plan, Israel stays
Communion exclusions
Voice mail tirade may 'haunt' Baldwin's political aims
If Alec Baldwin is again flirting with seeking public office, as he hints in an interview Sunday on "60 minutes," a tirade in which he called his daughter "a thoughtless little pig" may come back to "haunt" him, as one political consultant put it.
May 3: Rudy's Communion, the Rev. Wright, LIPA, syringe case
Communion a teaching moment
Mixed reactions to Egan's public rebuke of Giuliani
Heading into the noon Mass at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre yesterday, Anne-Marie Patton said she had no doubts Rudy Giuliani was out of line when he received Holy Communion at a papal Mass despite his public advocacy for abortion rights.
Cardinal Egan snipes at Rudy over taking Communion
Cardinal Edward Egan swiped at Rudy Giuliani yesterday, saying the former mayor violated a private agreement by receiving Holy Communion during the pope's visit this month, despite Giuliani's support of abortion rights.
Sports figures take sides with campaign donations
The world of sports is a multibillion- dollar enterprise that allows owners, team executives, head coaches and players to walk around with money clips filled with hundreds and investment accounts stuffed with millions. People with substantial money are likely to back up their political affiliations with donations. A quick search through the Federal Election Committee's public records shows contributions by several dozen sports figures.
'Baby Mama'
What may be the first real outsourcing comedy, "Baby Mama" is like a pacifier: floppy, nourishment-free and may even keep your teeth from growing in straight. It stars the likable Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, as a wannabe mother and her trailer-trash surrogate, but it's mild to the point of pabulum, taking a pretty fertile topic - surrogate motherhood - and making it inoffensive to anyone. This is not an endorsement.
April 23: Schumer on gas prices, Green commuting, Pope coverage
Being at one with the Earth
Thrice-divorced Rudy Giuliani takes communion
NEW YORK - Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Catholic on his third marriage and a supporter of abortion rights, received Communion at Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Peter King downplays talk of run for governor
Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) tried to downplay comments that he is considering a run for governor, saying in an interview yesterday that he has "no burning desire" to lead the Empire State.
Selling nursing home isn't a fix
What a shame that Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy wants to "fix" the Suffolk County budget by selling the John J. Foley Nursing Home in Yaphank ["Levy's budget fixes draw concerns," News, March 19]. Surely there are ways to trim costs other than by causing such devastation to those who need help the most. I guess March 2008 will be a record month for New Yorkers to be let down by our political leaders. Joan Vogelle, Miller Place
A look at political wives embroiled in scandal
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that women in public life need skin as tough as rhinoceros hide.
Review: 'Lush Life' by Richard Price
LUSH LIFE, by Richard Price. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 455 pp., $26.
'Wetlands Preserved'
Earthy, crunchy and proudly activist in a city that was increasingly wealthy and self-concerned, the TriBeCa nightclub Wetlands Preserve fought the good fight for more than a decade, opening in 1989 - just in time to completely ignore the grunge movement - and finally closing in 2001, crushed by Rudy Giuliani's relentless clean-up efforts, NIMBY neighbors and the collapse of the Twin Towers.
How scandal shot down Spitzer the "sheriff"
Eliot Spitzer has won a place in the history books for giving reform a bad name.
SPIN CYCLE
For the politician lucky enough to be its subject, presidential talk makes a great gig.
ELECTION 2008: ONTHETRAIL
Rudy Giuliani spent nearly $7 million in January on a failed Florida-based presidential strategy, but ended the month and his campaign with nearly $9 million in the bank. According to a monthly report filed with the Federal Election Commission, the former New York mayor raised only $3 million in January. Giuliani had $2.2 million in debt at the end of January, including several charges from vendors that the campaign was disputing. Of his cash on hand, $6 million was designated for the general election and could not have been used in the primary. Giuliani raised a total of $62 million during his yearlong campaign and spent nearly $56 million.
Democrats' race becomes pundits' fantasy baseball
The threat to Hillary Clinton and the surge of Barack Obama have created a moment in her home-state Democratic Party so thick with speculation, so laced with the thrills of political surprise and fear, that even normally levelheaded pros are scripting weird scenarios.
Obama's march getting harder for Hillary to stop
WASHINGTON - It's not just that she keeps getting beat.
Rudy returns to speaking ... for a price
WASHINGTON - Rudy Giuliani is going back out on the stump - for a fee.
Food Network shifts toward gastro-entertainment
At 6 a.m. on Nov. 22, 1993, a handful of early risers turned on their TVs and were greeted by Donna Hanover and David Rosengarten, co-hosts of a show called "Food News & Views" on a cable channel called the TV Food Network.
Party operatives analyze New York primary results
The biggest New York primary contest of its kind in decades sent party operatives scouring results district by district for hints at what's to come in the fall general election.
Careful wording marks Mitt Romney's exit
Mitt Romney did. John Edwards did. Rudy Giuliani didn't.
Punchlines
Comedy writer Jake Novak: "The New York Giants stunned the previously undefeated Tom Brady and the New England Patriots by winning Super Bowl XLII. Brady was later consoled by his supermodel girlfriend, who assured him that 'this happens to lots of guys.'"
Clinton's Long Island support mirrors national vote
Hillary Rodham Clinton's decisive win in Tuesday's New York primary was bolstered by large victories on Long Island that both highlighted her strengths and threw her weaknesses into sharp relief, political analysts and elected officials said.
Some experts say Rudy's bid was bound to fail
Rudy Giuliani yesterday completed a transition from front-runner to footnote in the 2008 GOP race, stumping in Manhattan for Sen. John McCain after a spectacular campaign meltdown fanned by pockets of hometown dissent.
McCain rides on a wave of optimism
PHOENIX - In July, when John McCain got off the plane in New Hampshire, he carried his own bags.
Primary breakdown: the Long Island factor
Sen. Hillary Clinton won solid victories over Sen. Barack Obama on Long Island and across New York State last night in the state's presidential primary, and Sen. John McCain handily won the Republican contest.
ELECTION 2008: Ten Things We learned On Super Tuesday
The biggest single primary day in American history, stretched across 24 states sea to sea, pushed Republican John McCain ever closer to his party's nomination but left Democrats Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama locked in a contest with no quick end in sight.
ELECTION 2008: No one scores Super knockout
WASHINGTON - With the biggest wins in the 21-state mega-primary yesterday, John McCain began to pull away from chief rival Mitt Romney and moved toward clinching the nomination.
What? Giuliani in a Red Sox baseball card?
Yankees fans won't like it, Red Sox fans won't like it and Rudy Giuliani certainly won't like it.
ELECTION 2008: Ten Things We learned On Super Tuesday
The biggest single primary day in American history stretched across 24 states, pushed Republican John McCain within reach of his party’s nomination and gave Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton a major lift in her battle with Barack Obama.
ELECTION 2008: No one scores Super knockout
WASHINGTON - With the most wins in the splintered 21- state mega-GOP primary yesterday, John McCain solidified his role as the Republican's presidential front-runner but failed to decisively pull away.
Joe Gergen: Giants finally get parade they deserved
The final drive of the football season will be longer than the 83 yards the Giants traveled in the waning minutes of Super Bowl XLII. It is expected to attract many multiples of the 71,101 witnesses to the 17-14 victory over the New England Patriots in Glendale, Ariz. Not only does it mark the team's first appearance in the metropolitan area in 2008 but it represents an unprecedented honor for the second-oldest professional sports franchise associated with the city.