Giuliani hits back at McCain
Posted: Friday, November 09, 2007 5:36 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Matthew E. BergerGiuliani got hit hard by
McCain today, and Giuliani surprisingly hit back, suggesting McCain’s new loan doesn’t pass the smell test.
In a press statement today, Giuliani Communications Director Katie Levinson said McCain oversaw a campaign that “spiraled completely out of control and went bankrupt, and now, he wants a questionable $3 million loan.”
“Americans need someone in the White House who knows how to balance their own checkbook before they try to balance the federal government’s,” Levinson added. “They don’t need John McCain; they need Rudy Giuliani -- who has actually balanced a budget and made a payroll.”
This is not the first time Giuliani has faced an attack from McCain, but it is the first time the Giuliani campaign responded. Giuliani has been playing nice with McCain for months, publicly praising him at debates and saying that he would actually vote for McCain if he wasn’t running. Insiders say Giuliani feels he had the inside track to grab McCain’s endorsement if he had dropped out early and has been trying not to ruffle feathers.
The campaign also later sent out a series of 12 quotes from McCain praising Giuliani. They range from McCain recommending Giuliani as Homeland Security Secretary to several instances of calling Giuliani an "American hero."
She introduces that memo with the following testy quote: "Is this what desperation looks like? Bernie Kerik’s issues have been known since 2004 and John McCain still had glowing things to say about Rudy Giuliani and his leadership. What, exactly, changed today? Best as I can tell, it’s just John McCain’s pure desperation in the face of a failing and flailing campaign trumping his so-called straight talk. It is truly a shame that John McCain has chosen to stoop this low."
