Former New York Mayor to help Bush campaign

By DAVID USBORNE in New York



Rudy Giuliani, the former Mayor of New York who remains best known for ridding its streets of criminals, is returning to the political stage, at least for the next several weeks. His mission: to help get George Bush re-elected.

While Mr Bush and others in his campaign are wary of trying to turn the events of 11 September 2001 into an election asset, Mr Giuliani takes the opposing view.

Talk about that terrible day all you want because it was Mr Bush who got America through it. Some would argue that it was the former mayor who did the most to keep the country calm in the face of the terror assault.

Critics of the President have rejoiced in the recent success of the Michael Moore documentary, 'Farenheit 9/11', which showed how he dithered in a Florida classroom for several minutes after hearing of the attacks.

Mr Giuliani, who rarely sugarcoats his words, is not impressed by film-makers, however.

"I don't need Michael Moore to tell me about 9/11," he told reporters at a press conference on the fringes of the recent Democratic convention.

And who could argue with him about that? He was there when the towers fell and was almost buried by debris.

A star role awaits Mr Giuliani at the Republican convention which starts on 30 August in his own town, New York. With a primetime speech, he will pursue his theme of Mr Bush as a strong leader in the face of terror.

Any notion that electoral politics and a tragedy that killed 3,000 should be isolated from one another does not wash with Mr Giuliani, who, since leaving the mayor's office in 2002, has run his own management consultancy firm focusing on security issues.

The terror attack "is the single most significant event that has happened in the last four years, and it may be one of the most important events in our history," he said.

"So it has to be an issue in the election. Not discussing it would be like conducting an election for Abraham Lincoln and not discussing the Civil War."

Political self-interest may not be far from Mr Giuliani's mind, however, as he returns to the spotlight. While his relations with the Republican Party have often been strained - he is opposed to any attempt to block gay marriage - he remains a political icon who is expected by many to seek public office again one day, perhaps even the presidency.

- INDEPENDENT