August 1, 2007 at 11:29:58

Hardballer Matthews Goes Soft in the Head Over Giuliani's Gold Digging

SAVE AS FAVORITE

VIEW FAVORITES

By Sandy Sand (about the author) Page 3 of 7 page(s)

opednews.com Permalink

The International Association of Firefighters is releasing a video this afternoon-right now, in fact-charging Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani with 9/11 leadership failures while he was mayor that they say led to the deaths of firefighters. Here's an exclusive excerpt of that video, seen for the first time now on television right here on HARDBALL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 1994 report confirmed the radios didn't work, and Mayor Giuliani knew it. Yet Rudy and his hand-picked fire commissioner took seven long years to replace the defective radios with new defective radios. Firefighters had 56 minutes after the first call and 29 minutes after the second order to get out. While all police officers left the building, 121 firefighters never made it out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS: The union also attacked Giuliani on his decision to put his communications center right there at the World Trade Center even after it had been bombed in 1993 by al Qaeda, and his decision to pull firefighters off of search and rescue after $200 million in gold was recovered from the site. We'll get to all those points.

We asked, by the way, for Rudy Giuliani or someone he would name to appear here on HARDBALL tonight to discuss these charges, but they declined an invitation. By the way, it's always open.

Here with us now with more on the video, which can be seen on www.Rudy-urbanlegend.com (ph) is Harold Schaitberger, who's president of the International Association of Firefighters. Who's paying for this, this video?

MATTHEWS: OK, let's talk about the second issue. That's radios. And I've heard this before, but you've done it very well. What about this other issue of the remains? How many firefighters' bodies do you believe are still somewhere in the garbage dumps, as your ads put it?

never field-tested, and, in fact, were put out in the field, and had to be drawn back, put in a warehouse. And, on 9/11, those firefighters were using the same radios they were using in 1993.

MATTHEWS: OK. Let's talk about the second issue. That's radios.

And I have heard this before, but you have done it very well.

What about this other of the remains? How many firefighters' bodies do you believe are still somewhere in the garbage dumps, as your ads put it?

SCHAITBERGER: Well, I-you know, this is very difficult for our members. We are very much like the military. We never leave our own on the battlefield.

And, plus, our concern was not to leave any of those lost on that day in that site.

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: Well, how many do you think are left behind?

(CROSSTALK)

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Sandy Sand began her writing career while raising three children and doing public relations work for Women's American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training). That led to a job as a reporter for the San Fernando Valley Chronicle, a (more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

Contact Author

Contact Editor

View Authors' Articles

Book Recommendations for "Chris Matthews"

Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told By One Who Knows The Game
by Chris Matthews

$14.00
Lowest New Price $8.56
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Free Press

Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success
by Chris Matthews

$24.95
Lowest New Price $6.38
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Random House

I Call Him Christopher: My Letters to Chris Matthews of Hardball
by Edward Eugene Baskett

$14.99
Lowest New Price $11.46
Number of pages: 100
Publisher: Signing Stars