Giuliani; Iraq Study Group

This is the sound of the air leaking out of a presidential campaign.

Members of the Iraq Study Group are challenging Rudy Giuliani's claims about why he withdrew from the ISG - namely, his insistence that he simply wanted the group's work to transcend politics.

On Meet The Press this morning, host Tim Russert offered more evidence that politics was not an issue in Giuliani’s decision to leave the ISG. “Several commission members have said to me that presidential politics never entered the discussion,” said Russert. “It was all about Giuliani’s schedule and commitments versus showing up for the Iraq Study Group.”

[...]

As PBS’s Gwen Ifil pointed out, the important work of the Iraq Study Group should have come before any political considerations. “Even if it were his presidential ambitions,” said Ifill. “Is that really a good answer that you were so political that you rather focus on politics than focus on the nation’s security?”

Video and transcript at ThinkProgress.

As Anonymous Liberal pointed out last week, the notion of Rudy Giuliani as an expert on foreign policy was always ridiculous in the extreme. The guy was mayor of New York when it got hit on 9/11. Period.

And despite the fact that Giuliani never seemed to have anything insightful or intelligent to say (and what he did say was often remarkably partisan and hackish), he kept getting invited back. Suddenly "America's Mayor" was commanding six-figure speaking fees to share his "wisdom" and being touted as a serious presidential candidate, all because he happened to be the Mayor of New York when terrorists attacked.

It's like treating Ray Nagin as an expert climatologist because he happened to be Mayor of New Orleans when Katrina hit. If Nagin decided he wanted to be the head of the National Weather Service, would anyone take him seriously? Of course not.

Indeed.

The wheels appear to be coming off of this little Magical Mystery bus, thankfully. Even if the press are reluctant to let go of their Rudy, the Hero of 9/11 narrative, I suspect his challengers for the GOP nomination will be more than happy to give them a nudge in that direction. I would be surprised if, by this time next year, Giuliani is anything more than a cautionary tale about the perils of pretending to be something you're not.