President Obama is under fire from Republicans for allegedly "politicizing" the killing of Osama bin Laden one year ago tonight (May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. in Pakistan).
To that, we say good, you go Mr. President! After all, the Republicans have been doing it for years now. And President Obama should take credit for taking out the world's most dangerous terrorist.
So was it just coincidence, not politics, that brought Mitt Romney, the presumptive 2012 GOP presidential nominee, to New York City today on "the anniversary on the elimination of Osama bin Laden" to appear with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani at a firehouse that lost 11 men in the collapse of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11?
Mitt Romney and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani reflected on the anniversary outside a fire station on Sixth Avenue in New York City. Radio host Michael Smerconish and NBC's Chuck Todd join NewsNation to discuss.
Wait, this is the same Rudy Giuliani who, in August 2007, disagreed with Romney, who seemed to rule out a mission for U.S. troops to enter Pakistan to kill bin Laden?
At the time, Giuliani and Romney were rivals, both running for the GOP presidential nomination while Obama was seeking the Democratic nomination. Obama had pledged to strike within Pakistan, with or without the Pakistani government's approval, to take out bin Laden.
"It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an Al Qaida leadership meeting in 2005," Obama said on Aug. 1, 2007. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets, and President Musharraf will not act, we will."
Romney disagreed with Obama’s plan, saying "I do not concur in the words of Barack Obama in a plan to enter an ally of ours... I don't think those kinds of comments help in this effort to draw more friends to our effort.” And: "I think his comments were ill-timed and ill-considered.”
But Giuliani said, “I would take that option.”
During a GOP presidential debate in Iowa on Aug. 5, 2007, Giuliani and Romney were asked to explain their views.
"Well, I believe that is an option that should remain open," said Giuliani.
Romney seemed to soften his criticism of Obama:
"It’s wrong for a person running for the president of the United States to get on TV and say, “We’re going to go into your country unilaterally.” Of course, America always maintains our option to do whatever we think is in the best interests of America. But we don’t go out and say, “Ladies and gentlemen of Germany, if ever there was a problem in your country, we didn’t think you were doing the right thing, we reserve the right to come in and get them out.”
Giuliani said today Romney was merely making the case that tracking down the al Qaeda leader shouldn’t be the singular focus of the U.S. military and intelligence community.
But Giuliani was singing a different tune less than five months ago, slamming Romney as an extreme flip-flopper.
"I ran against (Romney) in '07-'08," Giuliani said on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Dec. 11, 2011. "I've never seen a guy change his positions on so many things so fast on a dime, everything."
Watch this devastating video from the Democratic National Committee:
DNC Video "Mitt Romney & Rudy Giuliani: A match made in heaven...'
Ed will have a lot more to say about the Romney-Giuliani meeting, plus full coverage of the president's surprise visit to Afghanistan, after the president's speech tonight on The Ed Show at 8pET on MSNBC!
Also, the president's speech will be seen live on MSNBC and right here on The Ed Show blog, starting at 7:30pET.
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Giuliani, yes Rudy we know you were there on 9-11, is cozying up to Romney. He's a republican why is this news?
slow day.
Giuliani and Romney,
They look more like two old ladies at a Tuesday afternoon knitting bee, stirring up the latest church gossip rather than leaders of the free world...
We should call them Mr. Sad and Mr. Pathetic.
Giuliani, sad because he is still trying to ride that 911 train into some kind (or should we say 'any kind') of political victory.
Romney, because his lack of integrity and his flip flopping lies are catching up with him.
Sad and pathetic try boyz...LOL
Watch out with that old lady stuff and church gossip.....We may be the ones who do save the free world.
Hello......Is anyone paying attention to this.......They used 9/ll and OBL to take us in to war and now.......They are afraid Obama might use his success to play politics.....What a bunch of clowns they are.....I'd list them and how they use their phony play book, but there is not enough room on this endless blog.....
And Bushy says he is not worried about OBL.....after dragging us into his needless war...
Now cheney is shooting his crooked mouth off?
Next thing you know Romney will say he played a part in taking out OBL.
what a boring speech by romney.
blah blah blah...
compare romney's boring speech to the heartfelt and sincere speech President Obama gave today in afghanistan to our troops.
i feel great comfort knowing that Barack Obama is President.
i wish the repubs wouldn't act so childish, and do what is good for the american people.
i know. that is too much to ask for.
Wow! Talk about drinking the koolaid . . .
It sounds to me its more like President Clinton is talking about it and not Obama, But that's beside the point. If GW Bush would have given the order, which is imposable because he wasn't even looking for him and could care less WOW! Talk about a slap in the face to all the victims family's. But if he did they would have had a parade! Mitt wouldn't have power to make that choice because we all know when a republican gets in the White House its someone else it really in charge.
Doesn't it bother anyone...two really rich guys ... couldn't Mitt have got a few bucks from his Cayman island account and sprung for steaks? I mean a firefighters' salary doesn't budget for much more the pizza and beans these days. If you're going to use the guys, can't you be a bit generous? I hope they at least got pepperoni and mushrooms. Mitt you could have even told them about all your friends that are bulls.
Romney and Giuliani scratching each others back. Romney has the nerve to speak about Obama using Ben Lauden for campaign and whats he do but go to New York. Mr Romney you are an opportunists who will use anything to get elected. How can you trust a man who flips and flops like a fish ?
Card trick
http://officespam.chattablogs.com/archives/2007/07/david-copperfield-card-trick.html
None of the cards on the top are the same as the ones on the bottom.....no trick.
The only trouble with burying the hatchet is, they're trying to bury it in Obama's back. Two old rich guys with more money than brains.
Why doesn't the President and his committee call Mitt Romney a FLIP FLOPPER??? He does it every time he opens his mouth???
The Presidnet is more sofisticated than to stoop that low.
Larry there is nothing the least bit low about calling Romney a flip flopper, I don't see any sophistication being lost with that.
Idie we all know republican and democrat that Mitt has been left, right....center, diagonal....sideways on every major issue of our day. Romney is the patron saint of changing positions. The primary had him say or endorse many things that are going to cost him in the general, this OBL debate is actually one of those moments so they've got plenty of material. Mitt has said not only far right commentary but Romney has several times shown him to change position as he did in Ohio on the special elections on unions stripping where he said he did not support Kasich's bill and then not a full 24 hrs later he said he did support it.
Lets not forget his attempts to try to seem like an average person where he often ends up showing how out of touch he is. Romney would be wise not to continue to make these marie antoinette policy positions. People easily see through that.
The Obama team is going to hold Romney accountable for what he said in the primary thus allowing them to prevent the etching the sketch as Mitt wants to do. Now since we know he doesn't believe a lot of what he has said so he will have to explain that and flip positions. The obama camp wants to have the american people see Romney's flip flopping first hand.
Why make an arguement your opponent will level on himself
Romney is a coward for not standing up for his true beliefs we know he holds. Having said that I suppose we maybe should give a little credit for his flipping after all it takes some foolish type of courage for him to willing to change his policy on the fly at a moment's notice. That counts for something....a tiny tiny laughable something............
Romney is always right though on these things though isn't he afterall that's one of the perks of being on both sides of every issue.
Let me use a metaphor, think of a roulette game. So Romney puts money on all the outside bets because he can afford it and knows one of them must be right so it doesn't matter how he can swing the wheel he will end up with something no matter what. Barack put his bet on one number and spun the wheel and the ball landed in Obama's slot he just got a 35-1 pay out and now he is reminding people of that. He got the pay out, killing OBL, the republicans tried and failed so he has the right to note that he won and they didn't.
And of course a vote for Romney is a gamble, I don't think america wants to play the Romney roulette right now
Idie,
Obumbler referring to Romney as a flip-flopper would sorta like the pot calling the kettle, well, black. 'member the debt ceiling showdown? If you do, do you remember the then junior senator from Illinois's sanctimonious statement about voting to raise the debt ceiling in 2006 as immoral, or something like that? The same Obumbler who said people should be held accountable for what they say? Like the little ditty about spending gazillions thru the Porkulus bill getting unemployment below 8%.
Oops.
Idie,
The Obumbler calling Romney a flip-flopper is, at best, like the pot calling the kettle, well, you know...
I say at best because the statement was cherrypicked out of a slightly longer response. But even so...
'member, for example, how the Panderer-in-Chief railed during the debt ceiling crisis? You do?
Then how 'bout this ditty:
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure,” he said on March 16, 2006. “Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership . Americans deserve better. I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America’s debt limit.”
Can you guess who?
oops.
The ether is replete with examples of this pathetic trash. Yeah, I know. Reality bites.
Why doesn't the Present and election committe call Mitt Romeny a FLIP FLOPPER??? He does it every time he opens his mouth!!
We know Mitt Romney is a flip flopping liar. And so does the Republicans, they have no choice but to support him. They fought and held out as long as they could. Hoping for anyone, but Mitt. In the Rudy Giuliani said that Mitt Romney was a man without a core. Was Giuliani lying?
Ldie let Rommey keep opening his mouth, then Obama doesn't have too. He flip flop so much, we know he can't be President. Grover Norquist already said he will what he told.
GW Bush took us to war in Afghanistan to defeat Bin Laden then a few months later claimed Bin laden was not that big an issue.This is because he and his buddies were making and still are making tons of money off this war.Bin Laden is their big money maker why kill him. The President is correct for keeping us involved in Afghanistan. This keeps us in the game and keeps our eye on the ball to prevent another Al Queida build up.
I can see why the USA is in the way it is in. People like you are to stupid period. You can't fix stupid, so you let the USA get divided by race,religion,you allow the constitution to be ignored,you support over spending by all governments even though it shows it will bankrupt America with over a 16 trillion $ debt. You blame people who succeed and demand more money for fairness sake and allow never ending wasteful spending to continue and you support your companies who avoid paying there real taxes and damn the ones you don't support for doing the same thing. All you people should be ashamed to be called Americans you totally want the USA to collapse without regard to the people that made it great that shed there blood for freedoms we all enjoy. What a waste to read these comments no real substance here!!!!!!!!!!
LOL your don't know what your are talking about. People like you are dividing the country with your hate of a black President.
Paul supporter I presume ICU4? It's not nice to call people stupid. That is a sign of the uneducated or ignorant which I don't think you are. So now the debt is 16 trillion. Man it goes up a trillion a week. Amazing! Let me know when it has directly affected you. Oh I won't hold my breath...
Icu4,you should be the one ashamed for not cutting spending in th right places.Your parties cuts hurt the poor and unfortunate and elderly. They also hurt our children by cutting their education. You all are trying to turn our country into a fuedialistic government where rich reign over everyone and there is no middle class. This is so we will all be poor and uneducated so that you can enslave us. We will not let this happen!
honor code violation you can say an action is idiotic but you can't call people stupid for no other reason to but to insult them
Which side brought up religion and race first in this campaign? Republicans. No one is forcing them to do anything
Like with the patriot act or dominionism?
kiddo we went bankrupt decades ago
the right can not claim to support budget cuts when they want a new fortified mexican border fence, send more troops into Iraq, start a war with Iran, corporate wellfare, paying down the debt, more tax cuts..........and many others so this is a long list
perhaps you should look at europe where austerity has caused both Britain and Spain to enter double dip recessions
germany on the other hand is doing quite well and is not making giant cuts to public services
Nope not the least bit true clearly you weren't listening when obama said it's not about people like him who are rich and don't need a tax cut to survive
this is about math not fairness, fact is that you will do less harm and have a better impact on the budget, we are in debt and someone has got to pay for that so someone's taxes are going to have to up for somebody so you can pick people who don't need it or people who spend a lot of their paycheck on buying stuff which helps the economy
even romney admits it is not necessary to worry about the people who have done very well because this is about the majority of the country aka the middle class
wasteful like corporate wellfare or oil subsidies who are these companies
All those who would declare any other legal American to be less or un-American because they don't agree one an issue. Challenging people's patrioticism is pathetic and childish. Grow up. This nation was founded on disagreement and advocating the unity and the rights of the people to say inpopular things. Those who remember that and live that made this nation great not material wealth
this nation was founded by farmers and common people not aristocrats or cleargy
Why did the US not collapse when taxes on everyone were much higher under Reagan and Clinton? Seems like we're still here
Why cut public education who the hell is that benefitting.....oh wait europe, china, india, etc.
so cut education and leave corporate subsidies....don't even bother to pretend like the right cares about wasteful spending so here's a nice tall glass of shut up juice
drink up
Obama should ask Mitt. and GOPers what would they say today if the mission had failed.
http://sierramadretattler.blogspot.com/2011/03/have-you-been-called-by-mountain-west.html
Mountain West Research!
How great is this, what a contrast, our POTUS in a war zone addressing the nation and the world on our mission and national security, all the while the "goombah" giulinai and "spineless" mit dish out pizzas to our "heroes". Thanks for the sacrifice, good job, etc., etc., here have a pizza courtesy of my campaign! I am mit romney and I approve this video message.
Romney just lost to Paul in his own state!!! LOL
http://www.examiner.com/article/romney-loses-to-paul-his-own-state
As a twenty nine year career firefighter and member of the IAFF I find the hypocrisy of Romney's visit to a FDNY firehouse appalling. A politician such as Romney whose anti-union views are so well known has no business visiting a fire station manned by union firefighters.
Think your collective bargaining rights are under attack now?....One can only hope that Mitt does't get elected in November.
These two don't feel shameful when they flip stories around.