Say Anything Blog

Today Rudy Giuliani issued some pretty vicious criticism of George Soros (and rightfully so). He said of Soros:

I think that George Soros and MoveOn.org is kind of a new low in vicious, politics of personal destruction…Every campaign I’ve ever seen from them has been about personally destroying the Republican [party].

Unfortunately, Rudy didn’t always feel this way about George Soros.  In fact, Rudy once appointed Soros to a coalition opposing “Anti-Immigrant” forces in New York.  And, of course, by “anti-immigrant” forces he meant “anti-illegal immigrant” forces given his support at the time for New York being a sanctuary city:

The reality is, people will always get in. And the reality is, the federal government does not deport them. In New York City, which has 400,000 undocumented immigrants, only about 1,500 a year are deported. Under the new federal legislation, that number would—at most—double to about 3,000 out of 400,000.

So illegal and undocumented immigrants are going to remain, and even increase. And nothing that is now being proposed in washington would realistically change that very much.

In New York City, we recognize this reality. New York City’s policy toward undocumented immigrants is called “Executive Order 124.”

This order was issued seven years ago by Mayor Ed Koch and reissued by my predecessor, Mayor Dinkins, and by me. “Executive Order 124” protects undocumented immigrants in New York City from being reported to the I.N.S. While they are using City services that are critical for their health and safety, and for the health and safety of the entire city.

That’s right.  Not only did Giuliani support a policy in New York City that prevented illegal immigrant criminals from being reported to the proper authorities, he actually appointed uber-liberal money man George Soros to a task force opposing those who would see illegals reported.

And still, Rudy has the gall to say this:

Giuliani defended his Republican credentials, a day after they were attacked by Thompson. Giuliani noted that many of the Republican Jews in the audience were the first in their families, and have been met with resistance. “When they want to know, ‘Are you a real Republican?’” he said. “I gave my blood for the Republican Party in New York.”

Right.  Rudy gave his blood.  Except when he didn’t.  Again, from 1996:

“Well, I’m a Republican mayor, but I"m really not. I’m the mayor of New York City. I ran as a Republican, I ran as a Liberal — which really confuses all kinds of people — and I ran as an Independent, as part of the Independent Party, which actually is now the party that’s supporting Ross Perot. So I ran a fusion candidacy, like my predecessor Fiorello LaGuardia. So I’m not the most partisan of Republicans.”

I think a lot of people want to like Rudy Giuliani because of how he held New York together after 9/11.  And he’s to be commended for that, but is he really the man to advance a conservative agenda from the White House?  His history says, definitively, “no.”