I’ve seen a lot of posts lately saying that Rudy simply responded on Sept. 11 and didn’t really do anything but hold news conferences and attend funerals.
I’m going to say up front that I am a Fredhead and really want him to get in. I don’t agree with Rudy on a host of issues and completely agree with every conservative here that he has little credibility on most of the plank issues.
But.....as someone who was in NYC on that day, who had family in Tower 3 and workmates in Tower 2 (one who was lost), the city was a fright zone in the days following the attack and he, coupled with Bush’s visit, were the glue that held one of most densely populated cities in the country together.
It’s easy to say six years later that he was simply holding pressers and hugging relatives of the deceased, but the fact is that the financial capital of the world shut down for a week, the city was completely on egde and no one knew what was going to come next.
He did a miraculous job of bringing the city back inside a week, coordinating the security (which was tight and expansive) and making sure everyone knew what was going on at all times.
There’s a lot to be said for that. I don’t propose that it’s enough to crown him leader, but I don’t think it should be viewed as something very ordinary.