Giuliani Shores Up His Credentials

Choice Royce found this timely wheatpaste on Wall Street - check out Bernie Kerik's cable knit sweater! Today, the former mayor attended the September 11 commemoration ceremonies at Ground Zero.

As it happens, a USA Today/Gallup Poll finds that 51% believe that Rudy Giuliani's September 11 leadership make him better qualified to handle terrorism (48% do not think he's better prepared). A NY Times/CBS News poll finds that even though people identify Giuliani with September 11, it doesn't mean that voters view him as being that much better at fighting terrorism than other candidates.

Interestingly enough, the Daily News reports that Giuliani's presidential campaign has "e-mailed former deputy mayors and commissioners," asking them to help Rudy out:

In an internal memo obtained by The News, aides invited former City Hall denizens to attend a Sept. 17 meeting in Times Square to discuss videotaping pro-Giuliani segments - and to recruit others to the cause.

"Essentially we need people who can attest to what the city was like before RWG became mayor and what it was like to live during the N.Y.C. renaissance," reads the e-mail.

The authors make clear they won't be too choosy.

"Any surrogate you can think of on any conceivable issue will be of value," they said, adding that useful types might include "other administration officials, community and civic leaders, small business owners, CEOs, current and former elected officials and average New Yorkers."

"Because of the low cost associated with producing them, we can tape an almost endless amount of people," aides added.

Photograph by Choice Royce on Filckr