Paul Krugman of the Times calls 9/11 key players "fake heroes"

The New York Times can count one less subscriber after columnist Paul Krugman’s 9/11 piece — published on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the attacks — called Rudy Giuliani, Bernard Kerik and former President George W. Bush “fake heroes” of the tragedy.

“After reading Krugman’s repugnant piece on 9/11, I cancelled my subscription to The New York Times this AM,” Bush’s Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, tweeted Monday.

Krugman’s column, claiming that politicians turned 9/11 into a wedge issue for political gain, has sparked a firestorm of controversy, earning condemnation across the Web.

In his piece, Krugman wrote that “the memory of 9/11 has been irrevocably poisoned; it has become an occasion for shame. And in its heart, the nation knows it.”

“Why you would publish such a hateful piece on a day when the country’s heart breaks is beyond me,” wrote one commenter on the Facebook page for Krugman’s blog. Krugman did not respond to a request for comment.