Firefighters Attack on Rudy Will Fail

The very liberal New York City firefighter's union does not like Rudy Giuliani and is vowing to undo his candidacy, ala the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth:

A group of 9/11 firefighters and victims' family members with eyes on derailing Republican Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign is close to a decision on forming an entity that would run issue ads in key early nominating states.

"TV made him a hero, and we'll use TV to take him down," New York Fire Chief Jim Riches told ABC News.

The final decision about the formation of an outside entity will happen sometime within the next few weeks after the group finalizes its plans at a meeting scheduled for after Thanksgiving. So far, though, under Riches' leadership, the group has sought legal guidance and help from political consultants.

If the group decides to move forward, it would set up a 527 committee -- or something similar to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which in 2004 helped sink Democratic Sen. John Kerry's White House bid.

Let me tell you why this will be largely ineffective. No one ever saw John Kerry during his service in Vietnam other than those who served with him. The only thing that most Americans knew about Kerry was how he acted when he got home. Testifying before Congress and accusing his fellow soldiers of atrocities, tossing someone else's medals over the White House fence, appearing at antiwar rallies - that's what Americans knew about Kerry. Consequently, when his comrades in arms started showing up during the 2004 campaign and criticizing the way he served during his brief stint in Vietnam, it was easy for most people to believe the Swift Boat vets were telling the truth. As a result, the attacks on Kerry were very effective.

Rudy is a different story altogether because most if not all Americans who were old enough to understand what they were watching on 9/11 and the following days saw Rudy as he was doing his job as mayor and as he was trying to help the city (and country) recover from the attacks. They've seen the numerous documentaries about the event, and have seen Rudy front-and-center at press conferences, memorial services, and rescue sites. They know what Rudy was doing during that time because they saw it.

When the firefighters attempt to slander that memory they will fail because people know what they saw, and while it may not know the complete picture of Rudy's performance during that time, their memory will be complete enough for most. I think most Americans will simply dismiss the firefighter's complaints for what they are - liberal politics.

We appreciate the service of firefighters everywhere, but this political effort will diminish them in the eyes of many.