In a new ad, Rudy Giuliani generously tries to share his “a noun, a verb, and 9/11” presidential campaign strategy with Joe Lhota, but the plan might already be backfiring. Most of the commercial is recycled from a Lhota spot that debuted last month, but a shot of the mayoral candidate clinking champagne glasses with an anonymous New Yorker is replaced by an endorsement from the former mayor. “It was Joe who kept the city running during 9/11,” Giuliani declares. “Joe was one of the most effective leaders in my administration.” This new revelation did not sit well with Lhota’s rivals.
Fellow GOP candidate George McDonald responded with a bland call to leave 9/11 out of the race. “After 12 years, it’s time we finally move forward and not dwell on the past,” he said. John Catsimatidis spokesman Rob Ryan challenged the account offered by America’s Mayor, and just happened to highlight the role played by Catsimatidis supporter George Pataki. “Mayor Giuliani along with his police, fire, and OEM commissioners all took action on 9/11. Gov. Pataki and his administration called out the National Guard, oversaw the Port Authority and the MTA and suspended many state laws,” Ryan said. “These facts beg the question: How exactly was Joe Lhota ‘running’ the city?” Giuliani just can’t win.
