Rudy Giuliani, Failure Of 9/11

When Time Magazine named Rudy Giuliani its "Man of the Year" for 2001, it gushed "a hero to many, an icon of steadfastness in the midst of chaos, for his surprisingly subtle touch, for his many real tears and for reluctantly taking center stage." On May 17, 2007, the former mayor was portrayed by The New York Times as having "created a narrative around his candidacy that presents him as a powerful symbol of national security by stressing his leadership of New York City after the attacks."

More accurately: failure to provide workable radios for firefighters, contributing to approximately 200 losing their lives; placement of the city's command center at the only site in the U.S.A. which had been attacked by Islamic terrorists (and one which they had vowed to return to)- an idea criticized by his Director of Emergency Management; according to the International Association of Fire Fighters, calling off the rescue mission once $200 million in gold bullion was recovered; and appearing at the site of the attacks without a respirator-mask and proclaiming "no significant problems" with the air at the World Trade Center (As Rolling Stone points out, "since the cleanup ended, police and firefighters have reported a host of serious illnesses -- respiratory ailments like sarcoidosis; leukemia and lymphoma and other cancers; and immune-system problems.")

The "hero of 9/11?" That sounds a lot like the worn-out and tired, but applicable, cliche: a man kills his parents and begs the jury for foregiveness because he is an orphan. Except that the defendant in this case is neither humble nor contrite, and has had the mainstream media pushing his message for six years.