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Giuliani's spirited attack on Obama: 'He led nothing'

BY DAN JANISON | dan.janison@newsday.com

September 4, 2008

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.

Waving his arms broadly, pitching back and forth and laughing as perhaps his most-spirited speech prompted chants from delegates and guests - ranging from "Drill baby drill!" to "USA!" - Giuliani reworked some of the laugh-and-jeer lines that he and the McCain team honed earlier in the day before the New York delegation.

Of Obama, Giuliani said: "He spent most of his time as a celebrity senator," who produced neither leadership nor legislation. He has never run a city, state, business or military unit, Giuliani said, and "never had to lead people in crisis."

Not in 100 years has a candidate been less prepared, he said.

Thrusting a finger upward, in one of his more rapid gestures, he said, "We agree with Joe Biden! One time!" in referring to the Democratic vice-presidential candidate's prior criticism of Obama when they were primary rivals. He cited Hillary Clinton too, for warning about the 3 a.m. phone calls a presidency would involve.

"He worked as a community organizer. What?" Giuliani chuckled, getting a rise out of the room. "Maybe it isn't the first problem on the resume ... He immersed himself in Chicago machine politics ... Then he ran for the state legislature ... and he got elected, and nearly 130 times he couldn't make a decision. He couldn't figure out whether to vote yes or no. It was too tough. He voted present!"

"This is not a personal attack ... it's a statement of fact - Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada."

His put-downs cut a path for some of the same themes as Palin's speech, including a broadside against "left-wing media." He denounced those who'd dare raise the question of how she'd manage with a small child in the vice presidency.

In an omission expected to be underscored by Democrats, Giuliani gave no memorable mention of Republican President George W. Bush, whose case for re-election he argued at the Republican New York convention four years ago.

In favor of McCain, he said: "We can trust him to deal with anything. Anything nature throws our way, anything the terrorists do to us ... Change versus more of the same - that's really a false choice because there's good change and bad change."

Well before Giuliani took the podium, the Democratic National Committee, reacting to his promised theme of "reform," released pockmarks from the ex-mayor's resume: scandals involving welfare contracts and involving police commissioner Bernie Kerik, cronyism, nepotism and secrecy, all of which had come out before.

EXCERPTS

He [Obama] ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a "celebrity senator." No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right - it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business. He's never had to lead people in crisis. This is not a personal attack ... it's a statement of fact - Barack Obama has never led anything. Nothing. Nada.

For 4 days in Denver and for the past 18 months Democrats have been afraid to use the words "Islamic terrorism." During their convention, the Democrats rarely mentioned the attacks of September 11. They are in a state of denial about the threat that faces us now and in the future. You need to face your enemy in order to defeat them. John McCain will face this threat and lead us on to victory.

Obama was going to take public financing for his campaign, until he didn't. Obama was against wiretapping before he voted for it. When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem. Until the very next day when he changed his mind. If I were Joe Biden, I'd want to get that VP thing in writing.