So Many Republican Hypocrites, So Little Time

December 12, 2008 | SEND TO A FRIEND | GET EARLY NOTICE OF THE HOTW

Rudy Giuliani

Welcome back to the BuzzFlash GOP Hypocrite of the Week.

In a recent interview with Sky News, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani showed that the true hypocrisy of politics comes after all the votes are counted.

He told the reporter that thanks to Obama's election, "We can now be an honest nation and not a hypocritical one."

So, let's get this straight. Now that a man that you disparaged at every opportunity is our incoming president, we can stop being hypocritical? Clearly Giuliani isn't including himself in that "we," because that statement alone drips with hypocrisy.

While he lauds Obama's election these days, it wasn't always so. At the Republican National Convention in September, Giuliani laughed at Obama's work as a community organizer.

"He's never had to lead people in crisis. He is the least experienced candidate for president of the United States in at least the last 100 years," Giuliani said in making the case for a President McCain. "The choice in this election comes down to substance over style."

But that's not the only part about the interview that's two-faced. One of his main points about the positives of having Obama in the White House is that it will improve the United States' image abroad. Yet on July 10, 2008, Giuliani said on "Morning Joe" that the reason Obama is so well-liked in Europe is that he captures anti-American sentiment.

Perhaps Giuliani's favorite criticism has been of Obama's decision-making abilities. He mocked Obama for voting "present" in the Illinois legislature. During the Democratic National Convention, he called Obama "weak" for choosing Sen. Joe Biden as a running mate. In October, Giuliani told Fox and Friends: "Maybe this is a guy who doesn't have the ability to observe the world, to be president of the United States. That's called judgment, or lack thereof." Earlier in the spring, he called Obama "immature, naïve and irresponsible," again on FOX News.

Yet in the Sky News interview, Giuliani praised Obama's judgment in his cabinet picks. But some things never change. He was still drinking the Kool-Aid on Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. His continuing support for Palin, while confusing on a logical level, is at least consistent with his address for the McCain/Palin campaign where he insists that Palin has more experience than Obama.

This isn't the first time Giuliani has been hypocritical when talking about Obama. As Think Progress reports:

After first claiming to "respect" Obama for his honesty in discussing his past drug use, Giuliani later attacked: "God forbid somebody would do some reporting on Barack Obama's use of drugs."

Giuliani reportedly would not tell Sky News whether or not he planned to run for Hillary Clinton's vacated Senate seat, or make another run for president. Rudy, may we be the first to publicly suggest you retire. Or even better: Stay away from video cameras entirely. Hopefully that change will allow you "to become an honest" man, "and not a hypocritical one."

(Tip of the hat to Bob Geiger for bringing Giuliani's most recent hypocrisy to our attention.)

Remember our motto: So many Republican hypocrites, so little time.

Catch up with you soon.