Hillary Clinton embraces and kisses Mrs. Yassir Arafat.
Rudy Giuliani bans Yassir Arafat from attending some hoi-polloi function.
If that's the only difference between Hillary and Rudy, it's pretty pathetic.
Many conservatives were rightly critical of Nancy Pelosi going to Syria to try to make foreign policy. THIS IS THE SAME THING. Whatever any of us think of the Clintons or Arafat, the FACT remains that Arafat was an OFFICIAL GUEST OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and as such he deserved the respect that is accorded to other guests.
NONE of us wanted Arafat to be invited, but that does not allow us to make our own foreign policy. I am a strong believer that we need to respect the Office of the Presidency even if we don't respect the person occupying the Office. Rudy demonstrated a complete lack of respect for the presidency.
I don't believe being hospitable to thugs and terrorists is acceptable. SoH Pelosi left American soil to engage in her "diplomacy". Mayor Giuliani could have had Mr. Arafat arrested.
Some liberal venues had him talk at their gatherings IIRC.
He after all was one of the terrorists involved with the detainment of the hostages during Carter’s administration.
President Bush did NOT invite him to the White House or engage him at all.
To his credit
Not knowing anything more about it than what you reported, it sounds like one of the inevitable trade offs that were disproportionately associated with the Clinton presidency. In hind sight without knowing the details, it sounds justified.