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From The Sunday Times

March 18, 2007

Firemen douse Rudy’s image as 9/11 hero

Union bid to halt White House run

Giuliani caused anger by ordering a halt to the search for 9/11 victims

Sarah Baxter, New York

FIRE battalion chief Jim Riches brought up his son to be one of New York’s “bravest”, like him. The young Jim followed his father into the New York fire department and died at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

What followed turned his heartbroken father into a relentless opponent of Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York. With other families of 9/11 victims, Riches has vowed to torpedo Giuliani’s prospects of winning the White House by attacking his greatest source of strength, his reputation as a hero that day.

“We’re going to follow him around the country,” said Riches. “We want all of America to know he is not the man he says he is.”

Helped by the firefighters’ union, Riches and his friends are preparing to “swiftboat” Giuliani, borrowing the tactics of the Vietnam veterans, under the title Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, who pierced the Democratic nominee John Kerry’s seemingly armour-plated credentials as a decorated war hero during the 2004 presidential campaign.

Republican activists have expressed reservations about whether Giuliani is truly one of them on issues such as abortion, gun control and gay rights, but they have never doubted his extraordinary standing as “America’s mayor” on 9/11. Covered in dust, issuing calm bulletins and talking reverentially about the dead and missing, Giuliani was the epitome of leadership.

If the firefighters can dent his reputation, it could be devastating for Giuliani who led John McCain, his nearest rival for the 2008 Republican nomination, by 21 points last week.

Douglas Brinkley, a biographer of Kerry, said: “Pitting the two heroes of 9/11 - Giuliani and the firefighters - against each other will be the Swift Boat campaign all over again. Giuliani has marketed himself brilliantly as the leader of 9/11 but this will damage him. Most Americans respect the firemen more than they respect him.”

Several American news organisations are preparing exposés of the “untold story” of 9/11 after Giuliani’s dispute with the firefighters became embarrassingly public last week. He was the only leading presidential candidate not to appear at a Washington gathering of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which accused him of showing a “disgraceful lack of respect for the fallen” after the September 11 attacks.

Behind the union’s attack lies the grief and anger of families who believe their loved ones need not have died that day and their conviction that some bodies would never have been recovered had Giuliani had his way.

Jim Riches, 29, had been helping to rescue office workers in the north tower when it collapsed. In the dust and debris, his fellow firefighters did not realise that the south tower had already crashed to the ground. Despite the terrifying noise, survivors say they thought only the top storeys had toppled. They never heard the order to evacuate. “My son could have had 30 minutes to escape,” Riches Sr said.

The firefighters were still using the antiquated “handie-talkie” radios that failed to work during the 1993 bombing of the twin towers, when Giuliani was also mayor. He not only failed to replace them, but also located the city’s new emergency command centre at the World Trade Center against the advice of key officials. It proved useless when it was most needed.

Lack of communication also meant that warnings from police helicopters about an imminent collapse failed to get through.

Riches was one of 343 firefighters who died. His father spent every day sifting through the wreckage for bodies, eager for some sign of his son. In November, Giuliani ordered a halt to the work after the remains of 91 firefighters had been recovered.

“Giuliani told everybody the bodies were pulverised, but I was digging them up every day. It was grisly stuff, limbs, little bones - people were blown to bits - but the bodies were there,” said Riches, 55.

The searchers refused to stop. An ugly clash between the firefighters and the New York police left 18 officers injured. Eventually Giuliani backed down and allowed the work to continue, but not before branding the firefighters’ actions as “sinful”.

As late as March, clumps of victims - 13 here, five there, a couple more scattered around - were being found. One of them was Riches’ son.

Riches Sr had taken a rare day off from ground zero to attend his grandmother’s burial when he got the call on his mobile. He raced back to help bring what remained of his son out on a stretcher draped with the American flag. If Giuliani had succeeded in closing down the operation, “I would never have got to carry little Jimmy’s body out”, Riches said. “I would never have had a cemetery to visit.”

Sally Regenhard of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign lost her firefighter son Christian, 28. She has been dogging Giuliani and the New York authorities in the courts and at public hearings, and last week was protesting outside the New York Sheraton hotel, where Giuliani was holding a fundraiser. She, too, will be hitting the campaign trail.

The firefighters’ union, which backed Kerry in the last election, will be lending its considerable resources to the fight. Well organised local chapters intend to mount their campaigns against Giuliani wherever he appears.

The threat to Giuliani comes as his position in the polls has soared, even though knowledge about his three marriages, his estrangement from his children and his liberal stance on abortion rights and gun control has spread.

He faced new challenges last week with the disclosure that his law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, is receiving six-figure sums for lobbying Congress on behalf of Citgo Petroleum, a subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, despite criticism of Hugo Chavez’s regime as president.

Brinkley predicts that Giuliani will lose if he tries to face down the firefighters and their families. The answer, Brinkley believes, is to cut off the threat by apologising for some of his decisions. “He should say, ‘I just wanted to get New York moving again. I’m sorry I was insensitive’, and start talking about helping with equipment and resources,” he said.

It remains to be seen if “sorry” is in Giuliani’s vocabulary.

Giuliani states he was the first to reform Welfare By removing people off welfare and created more homeless then any state, Push most of them on the Fed and force many to do work no city or state union employee would do ask him how many people die on his work force program because they were not issue proper equipment ,no winter cloth etc and in the summer heat exhaustion and for this he is proud of and his statement about FDNY is his cold hearted way that he don't care God!! HELP US IF GIULIANI BECOME PRESIDENT
and yes I was A New Yorker

Felix, Orlando, Florida

Again, America will have to thank NYFD for acting as hero's, this time in the arena of the Politics of Insensitivity.

DZ, XYZ, Florida

That sounds...weird. Giulianni's associates were linked to cocaine, the DC madam scandal, crime, he is not and was not really popular with New Yorkers as far as I have heard from personal acquaintances, and the fact that the firefighters involved in the 9/11 events dislike him is nothing new. A question to everyone from the States - if he is doing well in the polls, and he seems to be, just what is he running on?

Boyan, Sofia, Bulgaria

For Patrick Carroll to parrot Wm. Langewiesche's claim based on a conversation the author had with a disgrunted construction worker at the site, with has since been shown to be untrue, promps the old line: vas yu dere? All the men from that Company
perished that morning Mr. Carroll, doing what was expected of them: helping their fellow human beings. I lost 343 of my brothers that dreadful day and I hold Bush, Giuliani and the rest of those charged with protecting this country from those who brought harm to our shores for failing their duty by their incompetence,
hubris and yes, stupidity.

Patrick J. O'Connor, Staten Island,, U.S.A. New York

A close reading of the events as they happened on the ground will show that at least some 9/11 firefighterswho were less than heroic. William Langewiesche's tells of a fire ladder truck recovered from the pile of fallen debris.

"Its crew cab was filled with dozens of new pairs of jeans from The Gap," he writes. "It was hard to avoid the conclusion that the looting had begun even before the first tower fell, and that while hundreds of doomed firemen had climbed through the wounded buildings, this particular crew had been engaged in something else entirely."

In the Atlantic Monthly artice in which parts of American Ground first appeared, Langwiesche tells of how firefighters staged elaborate ceremonies when the bodies of firefighters were recovered from the ruins but disrespected the remains of civilian dead. Some New York firefighters tried to coopt the World Trade Center disaster. Giuliani opposed them and for this they have not forgiven him.

Patrick Carroll, San Francisco, CA

New York's firefighters did blame Rudy from the begining.
The media refused to tell the story.

Rudy Sanfilippo, Queens, ny

Rudy is and always has been a snake it the grass!
He is more concerned with his own personal image and his own personal wants. Rudy was the worst Mayor ever and made some devastating changes with no regard to who he hurt along the way..as long as he looked good in the media. He should not be touted as a hero, a hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty, with no other motives. Rudy was supposed to speak calm and have a calming affect on the city during all the chaos, that WAS his job. Rudy is calculating and if he can do something to make himself look good in the media he will do it. He is a snake and he should be seen as one.
Low to the ground, slithery,sneaky and only looking out for himself. Watch out a snake can get so close with out being noticed, but then he'll bite you. Don't let Rudy do that to America! Keep America Safe from Rudy's poison.

Catherine, Sioux Falls, USA South Dakota

There is so much blame to be shared regarding September 11th. The biggest shame of all is that the FDNY still, do not have better radios. It is an unimaginable disgrace to the brave firefighters and their grieving families, that this has gone unaltered. I lost my brother FF George Cain that day as well as Mr. Richie's son. We need to fight for better equipment for the future.
Perhaps Mr. Guiliani shouldn't be President, but not for the fact that he tried to thwart the efforts of the rescuing firefighters. They rose to the occassion and fought back to bring their brothers home. Georgie was recovered on New Years Eve day, thanks to their undying efforts and determination of his fellow firefighters. We can point our fingers at so many who failed our brothers, sons, daughters and all the victims of September 11th., the list is endless. Perhaps an apology would go a long way in healing our pain and loss, some acknowledgement of his error in judgement. My condolences, Capt. Riches & all.

Nancy K. Nee, Holbrook, USA, NY

Douglas Brinkley's comment, that Giuliani should apologize because he wanted to get New York moving, is a bit short sighted. There is still a hole in the ground after five years. Rudy was in a hurry to clean up the crime scene and radioactive emergency vehicles before investigators could examine the chain of events. Was he thinking people would enjoy looking through a fence at the crater for the next five or ten years?

A.J. Weishar, Fairview Park, Ohio

always have asked "WHAT MADE RUDY A HERO ON 9/11?

LOUIS WENNER, MIDDLETOWN, U.S.A. DELAWARE

"Giuliani told everybody the bodies were pulverised, but I was digging them up every day. It was grisly stuff, limbs, little bones - people were blown to bits - but the bodies were there,” said Riches, 55."

Find the operative term in the above quote. Scary stuff.

RJ Williams, Mad Beach, FL/USA

Not to mention all the money he made from his 'hero' status. The man had the command center placed high above in Building#7, a previous target of the terrorists. He did simply because he wanted to show everyone in the FDNY and PD that he was the Boss

Pete, jericho, NY

Fair enough, Rudy is no saint.

Now, can we all please look past this issue and support the prospect of a liberal Democrat versus liberal-leaning Republican vote in 2008!

James, Loughborough,

Rudy's record is an open book. Anyone that takes the time to"google" Rudy Giuliani will discover for themselves that he should not be considered for the job of President. His record is great entertainment and worth the time to research.

c. perry, Boynton Beach, U.S.A. Florida

Mr. Bendelow: You don't "know" anything until it actually happens. Then we'll see what you or anyone else is made of.
As for the FDNY radio problems, they pre-exist Giuliani & continue today. The Mayor appoints only the Commissioner, he does not order equipment.
Everyone loves firefighters, but we should not adopt the political views & machinations of one of their unions wholesale. The attack group does not mention that millions of dollars were paid in overtime to dead firefighters for weeks after the 9/11 tragedy. Hundreds of firefighters refused to return to work afterwards, collecting full pay sitting at home, while their brothers continue to work short-staffed at Ground Zero & in firehouses across NYC.

BigJake, New Jersey, USA

The clash between Rudy and the firefighters has been well known in the NYC metro area since the time of the events. It was heartbreaking to see the firemen arrested for wanting to find their loved ones and other victims. They were truly anguished to be ordered off the site. Public sympathy helped to get a number of them back on the site.

Nene, Bloomingdale, NJ

Rudy may be nothing more than a media creation, the guy with the hat singing along with the Irish tenor during the seventh-inning stretch. But he does have better crednetials than our current President (Ok who doesn't?). It is sad what occurred to American families with 9/11, but no sadder than what is happening to American families with Iraq. To hold Giuliani accountable for what happened is not pointing the finger in the right direction-the ill-equipped Bush and his cronies are the ones at fault for not heeding the warning signs prior ro 9/11. Mr. Riches has a right to be angry but he will never find peace by mounting a smear campaign and he may be dishonoring the memory of his son with his actions.

Frank, Boardman, Ohio

Republican money is at last beginning to move for the 2008 elections. And it's moving into the coffers of the Mitt Romney campaign. McCain is out, too old; Giuliana is out; too damaged.

On the Democratic side, the big money belongs to Hillary Clinton. Obama, not yet ready. Edwards, not broad enough appeal.

If money counts (and it does, of course), it's Hillary Clinton vs. Mitt Romney.

Robert Dare, Clinton, Missouri, USA

Let's not forget that Rudy appointed a fireman, with no qualifications other than he was the President of the Firefighters Union, as Fire Commissioner. Labor leader to Management. What does one sell of ones self and/or union members to make such a transition. Rudy is nothing more than shyster Lawyer !

Dave Sharp, west babylon, ny

At times of great disasters, the media and the public are desperate to find a leader and a hero. They looked around and saw Rudy Giuliani who just happened to be there. He simply used the tragedy to hog the limelight, there was nothing particularly heroic about it. Prior to that event he was known for turning times square into disneyland, and for things like arresting homeless people. In one particularly despicable episode, he announced that he was divorcing his wife at a press conference --- before he had bothered to tell his wife!

Peter Piper, New York, New York

And they have not begun to list the other niceties:

1. Simply horrible race relations; 2.-A Police Commissioner, his closest buddy and business partner, who maybe about to be federally indicted for corruption and tax evasion, 3.- His damaging actions towards the operation and public image of the NYPD; 4.- His dictatorial administration mode where only ass-kissers survived. En fin, he is dangerous. And he is simply a media product, no real moral substance.

J. A, jc, USA

Everyone must take the firemen with a huge block of salt. The firemen whinging about Giuliani are the extreme union members, historically strident Democrats, while the Mayor represented management, or in this case, the people of New York. As mayor, Giuliani, long before 9-11, embarked on a program to make the firemen actually work for the people rather than put in short hours, with extortionate salaries, and benefits others could only dream about. The unions, naturally, reacted with fury seeking the mayor's downfall.

Enter 9-11, and the firemen could bask in the world wide sympathy and glory as "first responders". Representing the people of New York, and as the guardian of their purse, Giuliani rightly refused to cave in to the extortionate demands that would plunder the City treasury. The unions, of course, were able top reap sympathy around the world from those who did not share his responsibility.

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California

He was indeed not the mayor in 1993, but one fact that is abundantly clear is that he is not a hero in any meaningful way. He is a politician, and a hack, at that.

Please, let me ask you: how much bravery and determination does it take to stand on a pile of debris and stridently declare that a city should keep its wits about itself and that it will overcome? This mayor did the easiest of jobs on and after 9/11 (making a series of obvious, declarative public statements), and otherwise got in the way and obstructed the men and women who did the hardest work of the day, the ones who truly got America's City back on its feet. To think this presidential candidate is a hero is to disgrace the idea of heroism.

He is another political phony of the most deplorable kind. We can only hope the truth sinks his boat. We need a leader who has done an honest days' work when the chips were down, not talked a big game while leaning against a podium with his soft hands.

Steven, New York, NY, USA

Is it only now that the firefighters are speaking out against Giuliani, or did the media build up the hero image in spite of what some firefighters may have been saying? Why is it that it is only now that this image is being dented?

Roger Mifsud, Rabat, Malta

1993 - Rudy Giuliani was not the mayor of New York City. The Police and Fire Departments and Unions controlled what communication systems to use and even today things do not work properly. Perhaps it could be pointed out that a Republican mayor of a city with a Democrat controlled council cannot do everything. But then if you had to get the facts, you wouldn't have a story.

Linda, New York City, USA

I have always beleived that what happened that day was a disgrace. As a london firefighter with 23 years of disniguished service and many years at operational, organisation, management and disaster planning level I always 'knew' that what happened there would not have happened here.

The lack of planning, lack of comunication, bad management and chaos that insured that day showed a woeful lack of management and organisation. How Giuliani has managed to portray himself as a hero is beyond me.

Like Bush he and his management incompetence escalated the likely hood of the disaster and certainly increased the amount of deaths. And yet the American public vote fot the pair of them and cheer them on. Perhaps the yanks really are very stupid people.t

Pat O Bendelow, bedford, bedfordshire

How do you write an article like this and make such a huge Blunder in facts. Rudy was not the Mayor during the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. If you report things so incorrect as this, how do we know what else is made up in this article.

Lou, Raleigh, NC