Rudy's doodies

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Rudy Giuliani likes to remind us, whenever possible, and not always when appropriate, that he was the mayor of New York on 9/11. Indeed, the shameless embellishment of his exploits on that horrible (yet politically useful) day forms the defining myth at the very core of his presidential bid. He was there; therefore, he is the right man to lead America through these turbulent times. Well, the truth is that he fucked up (h/t: Maha):

As more and more workers who inhaled the dust at ground zero fall ill, it has become increasingly clear that much of the problem can be traced to the Giuliani administration’s failure to insist that all emergency personnel and construction workers at the site wear respirators.

The then-mayor and his agency heads put their emphasis on a speedy cleanup and return to normalcy. In that, they were remarkably successful, clearing the site in less than 10 months. Unfortunately, the price is now being paid by thousands of workers who have developed lung and other ailments.

And, of course, he has gotten rich off 9/11 while these workers have suffered -- and while his myth has been been punctured by revelations that all was not as he continues to claim it was before, on, and after 9/11.

America's Mayor, in short, is a fraud.