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Insider Report: Hillary Fan Trashes Giuliani - Again Special From NewsMax's Most Informed Sources
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
An upcoming book seeks to tear apart the heroic legacy of New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani for his actions surrounding the Sept. 11 attacks. Is there a Hillary Clinton connection here? "The Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11" will be published by HarperCollins in September to mark the fifth anniversary of the attacks. It's written by Wayne Barrett, a longtime Village Voice writer, and Dan Collins, a senior producer for CBSNews.com.
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Barrett, you may recall, was the author of a muckraking book about Giuliani, "Rudy: An Investigative Biography of Rudolph Giuliani," which Barrett wrote as Giuliani was seeking the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate from New York in 2000 – with Hillary his likely Democratic foe. The mudslinging book was mentioned as a possible motive behind Giuliani's decision to drop out of the Senate race in May 2000, before the primary he was expected to win. The Smoking Gun (TSG) Web site noted at the time that Giuliani "was recently running for U.S. Senate against Hillary Clinton, but withdrew from that race following a prostate cancer diagnosis and some serious girl troubles." (He admitted having an "adult relationship" with a woman other than his wife.) "But TSG thinks poor Rudy was also dreading the July 11 release of Barrett's detailed examination of the controversial Republican." There were whispers that Hillary, who trailed Giuliani by 11 points in an early 2000 poll, might have had something to do with the work by Barrett – who praised Clinton during an appearance on CNN's "Crossfire." Now comes Barrett's new book – as both Clinton and Giuliani are said to be likely candidates for the White House in 2008.
And once again, Barrett is hardly complimentary about his subject. Contrary to most published accounts that have praised Giuliani's handling of the World Trade Center attacks, Barrett says then Mayor Giuliani mishandled the city's terrorism response efforts. It might be noted that if Clinton and Giuliani were to square off in the 2008 general election, the ex-mayor could pose a serious challenge to Hillary in a blue state considered vital to any Democrat's White House hopes. Editor's Note:
2. Socialists Furious With Hillary
It seems no one is happy with Hillary Clinton these days. Now the socialists are outraged after supposed liberal darling Sen. Hillary Clinton failed to condemn a court decision upholding a New York State law banning same-sex marriage, calling Hillary's stance a calculated bow to the right. In an article that appeared on the World Socialist Web site, Bill Van Auken – the Socialist Equality Party candidate for U.S. Senate from New York – called the court decision "shameful" and went on to state: "Just as shameful as this judicial sanction for discriminating and the denial of basic democratic rights was the silence of New York's Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton, who refused to condemn the ruling . . . "The New York senator is positioning herself for a run for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination and is therefore attempting to curry favor with the political right." In a statement issued after the court decision, Clinton declared her support for "full equality for people in committed relationships, including health insurance, life insurance and pensions, and hospital visitations." Auken wrote: "This amounted to a reiteration of Clinton's stated support for state-sanctioned civil unions." But these are "by no means the same thing as marriage . . . and do not end inequality," he said, pointing out that civil unions "are not recognized outside the state in which they are sanctioned and have no federal standing." The Socialist candidate asked why are "Democratic politicians like Clinton, who pose as liberals and count gays among their electoral base, incapable of mounting a principled defense against this [anti-gay marriage] campaign? . . . Clinton no doubt reasons that she does not need to take a clear stand on this issue, posing the timeworn cynical Democratic question, ‘Who else are they going to vote for?'" Auken even writes that Clinton has "tried to outdo Republicans" by co-sponsoring a federal law against flag-burning and joining GOP Senators Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum in a campaign against "inappropriate" video games. There is no doubt that Hillary has been trying to position herself farther to the right. She recently warned Arkansas Democrats to avoid doing things that inflame the state's conservative base and advised that they seek "consensus on mainstream subjects." She told the Arkansas Federation of Democratic Women that concentrating on contentious issues only brings out the conservative base – without specifying such hot-button issues as gay marriage that inflame conservatives and drive them to the polls to vote for Republicans.
3. Former Foe Murdoch Fund-Raises for Hillary Media mogul Rupert Murdoch hosted a July 17 fund-raising breakfast for Sen. Hillary Clinton – but for reasons unknown, she tried to keep the get-together as hush-hush as possible. "There were no Fox News cameras to record the odd couple breaking bread together at Murdoch's NewsCorp. headquarters in midtown, where, after years of attacking her, the conservative Murdoch hosted a fund-raiser for Clinton's Democratic Senate campaign," the New York Daily News reported. Clinton's campaign refused to confirm even the time or location of the fund-raiser, and issued no report on the number of people attending. On her way out of the building, Hillary didn't go through the News Corp lobby and instead slipped out a side door. Murdoch says he is helping Hillary "because she's an effective senator," according to the Daily News. After the meal, Murdoch headed for a fund-raising luncheon, this one for Republicans.
4. Joseph Wilson: ‘Threats Made to Us'
Former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, husband of outed CIA officer Valerie Plame, says he and his wife have received threats as a result of the Leakgate affair. Wilson made that claim during an interview with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, his first interview since columnist Robert Novak disclosed that political adviser Karl Rove was a source for his story outing Plame. But Wilson refused to elaborate. It was also the first interview since Plame and Wilson filed a lawsuit against Rove, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Olbermann: One critical aspect of the suit would seem to be the sense that physical danger to you and your wife and your family resulted from the revealing of her work with the CIA. Your critics on the other hand have suggested that the danger could not have been that great if she was photographed for Vanity Fair magazine, or you were both seen at the White House correspondents' dinner. How would you rectify the idea of threat with those public appearances? Wilson: Well, Mr. Novak's wife is in no danger whatsoever until such time as somebody compromises her identity as a CIA operative, if in fact that's what somebody decides they're going to do, if in fact that is what she is. It is a fact that Valerie worked in a very sensitive position in the intelligence services that obviously brings about a certain level of security threat to us . . . and we've been exposed to it. There have been threats made to us that have come to our attention through the intelligence community. Olbermann: Can you go into any detail about that or is that something that will be coming out in the course of the lawsuit? Wilson: I don't know if it'll come out in the course of the lawsuit. I'm not going to go into any detail other than to say that it is happening, and we've been informed about it and the law enforcement authorities have taken appropriate measures as they saw fit.
5. NewsMax Scoops Media on Condi
NewsMax.com readers were the first to learn that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would meet with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on her way to the war-torn Middle East. Citing confidential sources, our Web site revealed Condi's plans on Tuesday, July 18: "Israeli and U.S. sources tell NewsMax that Rice is expected to arrive in Jerusalem ‘this weekend.' "Rice is expected to transit through Manhattan and be briefed by Annan's team, which has been conducting negotiations in Beirut and Jerusalem. The meeting with Annan is a stop-over on her way to Israel." The Associated Press caught up with the story on Wednesday, saying Rice was "likely" to make the Middle East trip over the weekend. Then on Thursday, a Rice spokesman confirmed that she intended to travel to the Middle East to press for a political solution that helps reduce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Rice had originally planned to travel to the Far East on Sunday to meet with officials in South Korea and several other nations. Editor's Note:
6. McCain Actively Begins 2008 Race
Sen. John McCain has said that he won't decide whether to seek the Republican nomination for president in 2008 until after this year's midterm elections – but it sure looks like he's kicking off his White House campaign early. The Arizona senator's political action committee, Straight Talk America, is actively seeking new members with this posting on its Web site: "Senator John McCain believes that with the blessings of freedom come responsibilities for each of us to do our part in making America better. Service in a cause greater than oneself is a cornerstone of the Straight Talk America philosophy. We invite you to enlist in the cause of reform by becoming a member of Straight Talk America. All you need to do is fill out the form below. There is NO financial requirement for membership. Thank you for joining the cause today!" The posting asks new members to cite the issue or issues that are most important to them from a list that includes pork barrel spending, immigration, campaign finance reform, and taxes. The Web site also seeks donations to Straight Talk America. The PAC pays for McCain's travel and distributes funds to other candidates as well. It raised $1.65 million in June. Editor's Note:
7. Left-Wing Bloggers Aiding Dem Challengers Several left-wing political bloggers have joined forces in an effort to raise money for Democratic challengers in this year's midterm elections – even though many have little chance of winning. Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos, Matt Stoller and Chris Bowers of MyDD and "DavidNYC" of Swing State Project have endorsed 16 candidates and posted their names at a Web site, Act Blue, that facilitates donations from Internet-based activists. "The endorsements depend on the candidate's having won a measure of support from bloggers in his or her district," the publication The Hill reports. "Crucially, the candidate does not have to have a good chance of winning. Bowers said their hope is to ‘stretch Republican defenses' and turn less-noticed races into top-tier races, which will encourage more activity on the Internet." The aim of the bloggers' campaign is not only to defeat Republicans in several races, but also to "lock down their resources indirectly," Stoller wrote at MyDD, and to support Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's "50-state" strategy of running strong candidates in Republican areas. The leading beneficiary of the campaign to this point is Ned Lamont, who is challenging Sen. Joe Lieberman for the Democratic nomination for the Senate in Connecticut. Act Blue has raised $76,659 for Lamont. Other beneficiaries range from Jon Tester of Montana ($46,718) and Francine Busby of California ($54,369) to Jay Fawcett of Colorado ($3,081). Despite their growing influence, however, left-wing political bloggers have so far not determined the outcome of an election, according to Democratic aides who spoke to The Hill. They did come close last year in Ohio in an effort to unseat Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt. Democratic opponent Paul Hackett courted bloggers and raised $500,000, but narrowly lost in the Republican district. Editor's Note:
8. We Heard… THAT former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed doesn't blame his loss in the Georgia lieutenant governor primary to his connection with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. He blames Sen. John McCain. That's the observation of Rich Lowry, who writes in National Review: "Reed's connection to the Abramoff stuff had broken back in the summer of 2004, so it couldn't have been predicted that it would be such a huge deal even now. But it was. The Reed camp blames John McCain for playing payback for his 2000 primary defeat with a campaign of leaks, and the press, of course, was happy to pile on." A Texas Indian tribe recently sued Abramoff and Reed, charging that their lobbying efforts unfairly prevented the tribe from operating a casino. Reed lost the July 18 primary to state Senator Casey Cagle by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent. THAT former Sen. Alphonse D'Amato tapped potential presidential candidate John McCain to headline a major Republican Senate campaign fund-raising luncheon in New York on July 17. The move raised questions about D'Amato's feelings toward the presidential chances of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and New York Gov. George Pataki in 2008, the New York Post reports. But D'Amato said: "This was an opportunity to raise funds for the Senatorial Campaign Committee – nothing more." THAT Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Joaquin Navarro Valls as head of the Vatican press office and named Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi to replace him. Navarro Valls, 69, had served as chief Vatican spokesman for 22 years, and is a longtime member of the Catholic prelature Opus Dei. Father Lombardi, 63, is the current director of Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Center, and he will continue to direct these organizations. THAT a conservative group blasted a House Republican for voting against a bill that would protect the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Rep. Bob Inglis of South Carolina joined 14 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee in rejecting the bill, which failed to pass on a 15-15 vote. Seven Republicans missed the panel vote on June 28. On the Family Research Council's Web site, Council President Tony Perkins wrote: "Inglis told me he believes it is better to allow federal review of the Pledge if state courts rule the Pledge unconstitutional… What disappoints me with Rep. Inglis' actions is that he did not let his colleagues on the Judiciary Committee know he planned to join the minority on this one. "And worse, he refused to let the Committee reconsider the measure. I had hoped for more from him than that." Inglis told the publication The Hill that he spoke out against the bill in committee an hour before the vote and said: "I don't think anyone should have been surprised." Proponents of the bill say it will likely be revived with support from the seven Republicans who missed the vote. THAT popular talk radio host and NewsMax.com contributor Erich "Mancow" Muller's show earned its highest ratings ever in the spring 2006 survey – released just one week after he was let go by his anchor station, Q101-FM in Chicago. The station pulled "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" on July 11, but Muller resumed broadcasting from a temporary studio that syndicates across the country several days later. For the spring period, his show was the most listened to English language morning show in Chicago among males, the Arbitron ratings showed. He grabbed more audience share with men 18-34, men 18-49, and men 25-54 than all other radio stations in the nation's third-largest radio market. "Isn't it ironic that the week after Mancow parts ways with Q101, in the same week he produces the highest numbers of his career?" said Mark Masters, CEO of TRN-FM, Mancow's syndicator. "Whatever Chicago station Mancow lands at will be extremely fortunate to have him." Editor's Notes:
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