Rudy Giuliani Quotes: Ten Zingers from Giuliani's RNC Speech

Rudy Giuliani's RNC Speech
Republican National Convention
St. Paul, MN - September 3, 2008

"Tough times require strong leadership, and this is no time for on-the-job training."





"And he will keep us on offense against terrorism at home and abroad. For four days in Denver and for the past 18 months, Democrats have been afraid to use the words "Islamic terrorism." During their convention, the Democrats rarely mentioned the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. They are in a state of denial about the threat that faces us now and in the future."

"...you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state Legislature — where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted "present."

As mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote "present." And you know, when you're president of the United States, you can't just vote "present." You must make decisions."

"Almost exactly one year ago during a Republican presidential debate in Durham, N.H., I said that if I weren't running for president myself, I'd be supporting John McCain. Well, I'm not, and I do."


"We the people" — the citizens of the United States — get to decide our next president, not the media, not Hollywood celebrities, not anyone else.

"...he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a "celebrity senator." No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right — it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business.

He's never had to lead people in crisis. This is not a personal attack ... it's a statement of fact — Barack Obama has never led anything.

Nothing. Nada."

"So, our opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about "change versus more of the same." But that's really a false choice. Because "change" is not a destination, just as "hope" is not a strategy."

"In the single biggest policy decision of this election, John McCain got it right and Barack Obama got it wrong. If Barack Obama had been president, there would have been no troop surge and our troops would have been withdrawn in defeat.

Sen. McCain was the candidate most associated with the surge. And it was unpopular.

What do you think most other candidates would have done in that situation? They would have acted in their own self-interest by changing their position. How many times have we seen Barack Obama do that?

Obama was going to take public financing for his campaign, until he didn't. Obama was against wiretapping before he voted for it. When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem, until the very next day when he changed his mind.

I hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing."

"And as a former U.S. attorney, I am impressed by her success in combating corruption — when she found unethical and illegal behavior among the power brokers of her own party, she did not hesitate — she acted courageously and independently. That's the kind of reformer we need — she shook up Alaska. She'll shake up Washington."

When Russia rolled over Georgia, John McCain knew exactly how to respond.

Having been to that part of the world many times and having developed a clear worldview over many years, John knew where he stood. Within hours, he established a very strong, informed position that let the world know exactly how he'll respond as president. At exactly the right time, John McCain said, "We're all Georgians."

Obama's first instinct was to create a moral equivalency — that "both sides" should "show restraint." The same moral equivalency that he has displayed in discussing the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel.

Later, after discussing it with his 300 foreign policy advisers, he changed his position and suggested that the "the U.N. Security Council" could find a solution. Apparently, none of his 300 advisers told him that Russia has a veto on any U.N. action. Finally Obama put out a statement that looked ... well, it looked a lot like John McCain's.

Here's some free advice: Sen. Obama, next time just call John McCain.

compiled by Mondoreb
image: donkeydish
Source: Giuliani speaks at Republican National Convention