Giuliani Claim: ‘Democrats Cannot Keep America Safe From Terrorists’ — Democrats Respond…

At a campaign stop in New Hampshire yesterday, Rudy Giuliani had the following to say about Democrats and terrorism:

“If any Republican is elected president —- and I think obviously I would be the best at this —- we will remain on offense and will anticipate what [the terrorists] will do and try to stop them before they do it.”

“But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have?” Giuliani said. “If we are on defense [with a Democratic president], we will have more losses and it will go on longer…I listen a little to the Democrats and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense,” Giuliani continued. “We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense.”

“The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us.”

Later on that evening, after being asked by Roger Simon about the aforementioned statement, Giuliani said:

 “America will be safer with a Republican president.”

Fiery rhetoric like this is sure to stir up some controversy and indeed it already has.

Barack Obama issued the following response:

“Rudy Giuliani today has taken the politics of fear to a new low and I believe Americans are ready to reject those kind of politics. America’s mayor should know that when it comes to 9/11 and fighting terrorists, America is united. We know we can win this war based on shared purpose, not the same divisive politics that question your patriotism if you dare to question failed policies that have made us less secure. I think we should focus on strengthening our intelligence, working with local authorities and doing all the things we haven’t yet done to keep Americans safe. The threat we face is real, and deserves better than to be the punchline of another political attack.”

Typical Obama.  Fast and strong responses like this one are part of the reason why Obama is drawing such massive crowds and enjoys such widespread support.

Hillary Clinton issued the following response:

“There are people right now in the world, not just wishing us harm but actively planning and plotting to cause us harm. If the last six years of the Bush Administration have taught us anything, it’s that political rhetoric won’t do anything to quell those threats. And that America is ready for a change.

“One of the great tragedies of this Administration is that the President failed to keep this country unified after 9/11. We have to protect our country from terrorism — it shouldn’t be a Democratic fight or a Republican fight. The plain truth is that this Administration has done too little to protect our ports, make our mass transit safer, and protect our cities. They have isolated us in the world and have let Al Qaeda regroup. The next President is going to be left with these problems and will have to do what it takes to make us safer and bring Democrats and Republicans together around this common mission of protecting our nation. That is exactly what has to be done and what I am ready to do.”

 I think this is a politically inadequate response.  She never mentioned Rudy’s name once.  She needed to issue a stronger more direct response in order to demonstrate to Democrats that she’s capable of being the leader that they crave.

Chris Dodd replied as follows:

“It is unfortunate that Republican Presidential candidates are continuing the smear tactics and fearmongering of the current administration. Americans want real solutions to the many problems our nation faces, not divisive and false rhetoric. We need a President who has the experience and ability to unite America, move us forward and make us safer together, and that means leading with hope, not fear”

More responses will be posted as they become available…