Rudolph Giuliani - an idiot at the RNC

"The attack on the Israeli team at the Munich Olympics was in 1972. That’s a long time ago, that’s not yesterday. And the pattern began early. The three surviving terrorists were arrested and then within just three months the terrorists who slaughtered the Israeli athletes were released by the German government. Set free. Action like this became the rule, not the exception. Terrorists came to learn time after time that they could attack, that they could slaughter innocent people and not face any consequences.

In 1985, terrorists attacked the Achille Lauro and they murdered an American citizen who was in a wheelchair, Leon Klinghoffer. They marked him for murder solely because he was Jewish. Some of those terrorist were released and some of the remaining terrorists, they were allowed to escape by the Italian government because of fear of reprisals from the terrorists.

So terrorists learned they could intimidate the world community and too often the response, particularly in Europe, would be accommodation, appeasement and compromise. And worse, and worse they also learned that their cause would be taken more seriously, almost in direct proportion to the horror of their attack."
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"Before Sept. 11, we were living with an unrealistic view of our world much like observing Europe appease Hitler..."

Well thank you 'Rudolph' for that little mis-analysis of history. Europe didn't appease Hitler - we are not the pacifier of the right-wing lunatics of the world. However Europe didn't see clearly what Hitler was capable of. He was seen as a rabble-rouser, as the leader of the NSDAP and before that, what had been known as the German Workers Party. Leaders though of him as someone who could be trusted to make as much noise as possible, get in a fight, and cause trouble but was not seen to have the potential to attempt to overrun central Europe. When he was seen through, when his two-faced nature because clear, Europe acted. America did not, waiting for as long as possible whilst Roosevelt deliberated with the lives of 60 million people, until Pearl Harbour forced intervention.
Also, is this speech taking place in Tel Aviv? Why the Israel focus, does Giuliani want to be relected somewhere in NYC again? I know he's into the whole 'I love New York' thing - getting the crowd to really LOVE him, but Ruddy, could you tone it down a bit, let go a little? I mean, I'm dying here, listening to this rubbish that you're spouting about Boston and Chicago loving NYC and then somehow linking that to George W. It's a non sequitur.
By the way W, that means it's bullsh*t.

NY Times Transcript