New TV Ad: Giuliani on Iraq: A Betrayal of Trust
New TV Ad: Giuliani on Iraq: A Betrayal of Trust
*** View the ad at: http://pol.moveon.org/giuliani/ ***
Iraq Study Group Asked Him to Leave Over Frequent Absences
Former Mayor's Priority Was High-Fee Speaking Gigs
Ad Will Run in Iowa, Initial Buy $50k
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new TV ad attacking Rudy Giuliani for failing to address the Iraq War problem when he had the chance as a member of the Iraq Study Group (ISG) will begin airing this week in Iowa. The former mayor was asked to leave the prestigious committee because of his frequent absences. Rather than meeting his obligation to the group, Giuliani spent his time collecting high fees for speaking engagements all over the country.
"Rudy Giuliani has become an uncritical cheerleader for George Bush's war in Iraq. Yet when he had the chance to actually do something about the war, he went AWOL. He was thrown off the Iraq Study Group for missing too many meetings. Where was he? Out making huge sums of money giving speeches. When Rudy had the chance to support our troops, he left them high and dry. Now that's a true betrayal of trust," said Eli Pariser, MoveOn.org Political Action's executive director.
Ad script and back-up: AD TEXT: DOCUMENTATION: Rudy Giuliani has always been Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani a big fan of George Bush's war advocated a broad war against global in Iraq. terrorism -- including taking strong action against Iraq. Giuliani specifically emphasized the need for action against Iraq: "I have a very strong view that it's imperative that we remove Saddam Hussein and do away with his regime. You have to take pre-emptive action. As time goes by, Saddam Hussein will become more and more dangerous." [Newsday, 9/21/02] Giuliani: "Saddam Hussein is and was a target. He [Bush] proceeded when public opinion was in his favor and when public opinion was against him. When the war started in Iraq and the first few days it wasn't won in 36 hours, some in the media had decided we had lost... And up until now, when people are starting to revisit it, George W. Bush has remained constant and focused as a president should." [BostonGlobe, 7/26/03] Former mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York supports the Iraq war and the "surge" of additional troops to Baghdad. [BostonGlobe, 4/7/07] Rudy Giuliani: Opposes setting a timeline for withdrawal. Supports the president's plan to have a surge of additional troops sent to Iraq. Agrees with Bush that failure in Iraq would be harmful to U.S. interests. [The State, 5/13/07] Giuliani quit the Iraq Study Group after two months. [Newsday, 11/17/06] Giuliani resigned in May 2006 from the Iraq Study Group -- the 10-member bipartisan study group that provided assessments of conditions in Iraq and the surrounding region. [WashingtonPost, 6/1/06] Yet when Giuliani had the chance The Iraq Study Group held nine to actually do something about official meetings, which it called the war, he went AWOL. "plenary sessions," according to its final report. They included three that occurred during Giuliani's tenure in 2006 but that he did not show up for, the sources said -- working sessions on April 11 and 12, and May 18 and 19. There was also a kickoff event on March 15 that Giuliani and several other members did not attend, the sources said. [Newsday, 6/19/07] Giuliani quit the Iraq Study Group after two months, saying he just didn't have the time. It's not clear that he attended a single meeting. Two of the group's top advisers said yesterday they didn't even know he had been a member. [Newsday, 11/17/06] Rudy Giuliani left the Iraq Study Group in May citing a lack of time. That's one way to put it. In fact, the celebrated former mayor of New York City missed the August panel's rollout and then two meetings on short notice. [National Journal, 12/16/06] Rudolph Giuliani's membership on an elite Iraq study panel came to an abrupt end last spring after he failed to show up for a single official meeting of the group, causing the panel's top Republican to give him a stark choice: either attend the meetings or quit, several sources said. [Newsday, 6/19/07] Giuliani cited "previous time commitments" in a letter explaining his decision to quit, and a look at his schedule suggests why -- the sessions at times conflicted with Giuliani's lucrative speaking tour that garnered him $11.4 million in 14 months. Giuliani failed to show up for a pair of two-day sessions that occurred during his tenure, the sources said -- and both times, they conflicted with paid public appearances shown on his recent financial disclosure. Giuliani quit the group during his busiest stretch in 2006, when he gave 20 speeches in a single month that brought in $1.7 million. On one day the panel gathered in Washington -- May 18, 2006 -- Giuliani delivered a $100,000 speech on leadership at an Atlanta business awards breakfast. Later that day, he attended a $100-a- ticket Atlanta political fundraiser for conservative ally Ralph Reed, whom Giuliani hoped would provide a major boost to his presidential campaign. The month before, Giuliani skipped the session to give the April 12 keynote speech at an economic conference in South Korea for $200,000, his financial disclosure shows. [Newsday, 6/19/07] Giuliani's name is mentioned nowhere in the group's final report, which lists more than 160 people who were consulted. [Newsday, 6/19/07] Giuliani said recently he's never been to Iraq. [Newsday, 6/19/07] After skipping important Giuliani said he had not read the meetings of the Iraq Study Iraq Study Group's report. [AP, Group, he quit. 12/6/06] And gave speeches. For money. Republican voters should ask: Giuliani: where were you when it counted? Rudy Giuliani. A betrayal of trust.
Source: MoveOn.org
CONTACT: Doug Gordon of MoveOn.org, +1-202-822-5200, ext. 237, mobile,
+1-202-494-5141
Web site: http://www.moveon.org/
Profile: International Entertainment
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