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Ron Paul Recruits Anonymous to Attack Rudy's Foreign Policy

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May 22, 2007 3:37 PM

ABC's Z. Byron Wolf reports:  Presidential candidate and Libertarian Republican Rep. Ron Paul will enlist the help of Mr. Anonymous --Michael Scheuer, an author critical of Presidents in both parties and the former head of the CIA's Osama Bin Laden unit -- to argue that America's Mayor needs to bone up on his recent history.

It's been a week since the Fox News presidential debate and Ron Paul is still playing up his tiff with Rudy Giuliani that night over whether US Foreign Policy, specifically the first Gulf war, led in some way to 9/11. Paul said it's common sense. Giuliani said the notion that US Foreign policy with regard to the Middle East generally, and Iraq specifically, led to 9/11 is poppycock.

Paul and Scheuer are going to have a Thursday event at the National Press Club Thursday to, facetiously, "educate former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Foreign Policy."

"They attack us because we've been over there. We've been bombing Iraq for 10 years. We've been in the Middle East [for years]. I think (Ronald) Reagan was right," Paul said. "We don't understand the irrationality of Middle Eastern politics. Right now, we're building an embassy in Iraq that is bigger than the Vatican. We're building 14 permanent bases. What would we say here if China was doing this in our country or in the Gulf of Mexico? We would be objecting?"

Giuliani said Paul was being absurd.

"That's really an extraordinary statement," Giuliani said. "That's really an extraordinary statement, as someone who lived through the attack of Sept. 11, that we invited the attack because we were attacking Iraq. I don't think I have ever heard that before and I have heard some pretty absurd explanations for Sept. 11. I would ask the congressman withdraw that comment and tell us that he didn't really mean that."

Paul, however, dug up a passage from the 9/11 Commission Report the next day that backed his claim and shot off a press release the next day wondering if Giuliani had even read the report.
So goes the report: "His (Bin Laden) rhetoric selectively draws from multiple sources-Islam, history, and the region's political and economic malaise. He also stresses grievances against the United States widely shared in the Muslim world. He inveighed against the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam's holiest sites. He spoke of the suffering of the Iraqi people as a result of sanctions imposed after the Gulf War...." 

Giuliani has not backed down. He told Sean Hannity on Sunday that Paul's "statement that really shocked me."

"I never thought I'd hear something like that at a Republican debate. I actually didn't expect it at a Democratic debate. It was sort of the kind of thing that I remember like the Saudi prince saying, you know, the one who gave us $10 million, said American foreign policy had something to do with it, that had to be changed."

"I mean, it seemed like it was so off the wall," Giuliani added. "And there are so many of these conspiracy theories about September 11, to hear one coming from a Republican was very, very disappointing. So I thought I just had to step in, nobody else seemed to be doing it. And I seemed to — I had to step in, somebody had to correct this."

May 22, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (54)

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I really would like to ask Rudy why in the hell would he be accepting money from a Saudi Prince anyway? To me that is worse than accepting money from the Syrian government, and something I would only expect of Pres. Carter, not "Mr. 911".

Posted by: Austin from AL | May 22, 2007 11:15:28 PM

I just looked at the "who's running" page on the abcnews '08 campaign site, and Ron Paul isn't even listed. You've got Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee and Jim Gilmore. But Ron Paul seems to be the one making all the news. What gives?

Posted by: Gary Johnson | May 22, 2007 11:24:32 PM

Did anyone see Rudy on Letterman?? What a suck-up. This guy is pandering to the base fears of Americans. He must have used the word "terror" about 30 times and only barely brought up any other issue. Every topic came back to terrorism. What a one trick pony.

Yes, Virginia, there is still a true conservative running for president - his name is Ron Paul.

Posted by: Phil B | May 22, 2007 11:52:50 PM

I am impressed that Mr. Scheuer, the former head of the CIA's Osama Bin Laden unit, is willing to stand up for Congressman Paul's statements in the recent debates. It seems to me that it is actually absurd for Rudy Guliani to refuse to consider the effect of the US Government's foreign policy in the Middle-East. If we cannot consider the effect of what our Government does, how can we ever hope for it's policies to improve? Ron Paul's courageous willingness to state the truth, however uncomfortable it may make us feel, is one more reason that he is truly Hope for America.

Posted by: George Whitfield | May 23, 2007 12:20:30 AM

Thank you ABC for the article and I hope you will be covering the press conference. Ron Paul is a great guy and I am glad to see him getting coverage on a very important issue. Thanks again.

Posted by: Carla Craig | May 23, 2007 12:58:52 AM

Anyone who's even marginally informed about 9/11, Al Qaeda, and the world in general knows that Ron Paul is right about this, and that Rudy's manufactured outrage is just another stunt to appeal to voters who'd rather not hear uncomfortable truths.

To suggest that American policy DIDN'T have anything to do with 9/11 is what's an off the wall conspiracy theory.

Posted by: Cal | May 23, 2007 1:04:17 AM

Yes, please cover the event so Ron Paul can speak for more than 30 seconds without being interrupted. Some discussions require more time and, believe it or not, the American public actually wants to hear a real discussion.

You must have noticed the overwhelming support for Paul in forums, blogs, comments, videos, etc. People want to hear what the man has to say!

That said, I know there's no chance ABC will cover him. :(

Posted by: Jeff Moe | May 23, 2007 2:24:12 AM

I saw Hannity's interview with Giuliani. Hannity played exerpts from the debate including Giuliani's attack on Paul. Fox War Channel, however, conveniently left out Paul's statement and, instead, told the audience what Paul supposedly said, but in the words of the Fox War Channel. Hannity and Giuliani continue to spin their lies as being the truth that was "correcting" Paul's statement.

Remember, these are the same media tools that have been lying us into wars.

Posted by: John Delano | May 23, 2007 2:40:45 AM

Hizzoner tried to score cheap points by pandering to adolescent Americans who refuse to take responsibility for their government's interventionist misbehavior. No, the victims of 9/11 did not deserve what happened to them. But it didn't happen because we're rich & free & have women voters. When terrorists start flying airplanes into buildings in Switzerland then I'll buy that explanation.

Posted by: Rebecca Mansour | May 23, 2007 7:15:36 AM

Ron Paul has the courage to state the facts at the risk of being called unpatriotic. Giuliani is way out of line. He is milking his role in 9/11 for all it's worth. Giuliani's attack on Paul sounds very McCarthyesque.

Posted by: Eileen Holloran | May 23, 2007 9:44:25 AM

Nick nailed an important point on Rudy. Those two quotes prove that Rudy intentionally lied. Rudy is a demagogue pandering to paranoid authoritarians. Integrity and people thinking for themselves are not even on his radar screen. Ron Paul is a giant among these moral pigmies.

Posted by: mark | May 23, 2007 9:54:21 AM

The reason no candidate, except Ron, wants to admit that our foreign policy created anger which led to 9/11, is ISRAEL. The 900 lbs gorilla in the living room. Every candidate, Democratic or Republican knows they can not be elected in these United States without Jewish support (money, media support, etc). We knew we were finally hearing the truth when Ron Paul spoke. It created a national uproar. Where are the Democrat candidates on this issue? Don't you think they would jump on it? Not a peep.

Posted by: John | May 23, 2007 10:33:08 AM

What this episode really says is that the mainstream media, the so called free press which is supposed to be a government and politician watch dog has really fallen down on the job. That a free and informed press would let Rudy get away with this crap is pathetic.

Posted by: Norm Nelson | May 23, 2007 11:07:08 AM

Ron Paul is the only honest candidate out there. Time to stop the lies. Time to stop special interest control over America's media. Go Ron Paul Go!

Posted by: BuckinOhio | May 23, 2007 11:37:57 AM

Giuliani's viewpoint will only result in the death of more people, including New Yorkers. I am glad to see that there is now a public discussion about this. Thank you Ron Paul.

I want to see Giuliani and Paul debate.

Posted by: Jose Ortiz | May 23, 2007 12:42:30 PM

I would also like to see an honest discussion about American foriegn policy and it's consequences - both in the media and American society. Unless these things are looked at without the rose colored glasses I fear we will be having this same discussion next century

Posted by: Heidi | May 23, 2007 3:31:26 PM

Ron Paul is a breath of fresh air. He has dedicated his life to upholding the principles of the Constitution. Unlike Giuliani, the fear monger, Dr. Paul is a liberty preserver. Imagine an America where we can finally have a chance to get back to the principles of the Constitution that has kept us free for over 200 years.

Posted by: L. Kline | May 23, 2007 5:40:12 PM

Once again Ron Paul is the only Congressman telling us a much needed truth. How is it that only one honest man can be found in Washington? How can people trust in the others anymore? Why do they keep re-electing them? Could it be the media has been a lapdog, and not a watchdog?

Posted by: Don Duncan | May 23, 2007 5:57:56 PM

Is it just me, or does anyone else find the subtle editorializing/bias of this article objectionable?

"...Ron Paul is still playing up his tiff with Rudy Giuliani..."

"Paul, however, dug up a passage from the 9/11 Commission Report..."

"...and shot off a press release..."

If an article begins, "ABC's So & So reports:..." isn't it supposed to be editorially neutral?

Posted by: Josh M | May 23, 2007 7:29:45 PM

ABC you had better cover this press conference. We, the people, want to see this! Even conservatives, myself included, don't want more of this silly shallow take on foreign policy! Ron Paul has earned my respect forever.

Posted by: Aaron | May 24, 2007 12:30:22 AM

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