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Author Topic:   Mike strikes at Giuliani's 9/11 critics
Venusian Love
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posted August 11, 2006 02:33 PM           Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mike strikes at Giuliani's 9/11 critics

Backs away from Kelly slams

BY DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

Mayor Bloomberg
With a new book slamming Rudy Giuliani's handling of 9/11, Mayor Bloomberg rushed to his predecessor's defense yesterday - and distanced himself from criticism by Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

"Look, I haven't read this book and I don't intend to read the book," Bloomberg said of soon-to-be released "Grand Illusion: The Untold Story Of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11."

"What I have said before," added Bloomberg, "is that I think Rudy Giuliani did a great job running this city, both before and after 9/11. And his leadership on that day really was extraordinary."

Bloomberg, former Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik - and even Kelly himself - chose to highlight Giuliani's heroism after the terror attacks.

Yet the mayor did point out that the city has "tried to apply whatever lessons we can from 9/11," citing in particular new protocols requiring top FDNY and NYPD brass to set up joint command posts at all disasters.

Kelly, who was let go as the top cop by Giuliani in 1993 before being rehired by Bloomberg in 2001, is quoted in the book saying Giuliani failed to set up a unified, NYPD-FDNY command post that day.

He also called "unwise" Giuliani's decision to locate the city's only emergency command bunker near the site of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The command center, at 7 World Trade Center, was ultimately destroyed on 9/11; a new one was built across the river from Ground Zero in Brooklyn by Bloomberg. Bloomberg's other key changes include new radios that allow top fire and police officials to communicate with each other - an impossibility on 9/11.

"Whatever Ray Kelly said, those are his views," said Bloomberg in a rare dig at Kelly, who was strangely absent from the press conference, which focused mostly on the foiled airplane terror plot.

Kelly, for his part, all but apologized yesterday, saying in a statement, "The leadership Rudy Giuliani demonstrated on Sept. 11, and the reassurance he gave the city, trumped any of the procedural issues I was asked about."

Giuliani declined to comment on the book yesterday. But Kerik slammed Kelly for not airing his criticisms in a more private setting, like the federal 9/11 Commission.

"That would have been the correct forum, not in some book that is going to be critical of Rudy Giuliani and his administration," Kerik told the Daily News.

Kerik also took issue with another section of the book in which Kelly questions who was operationally "in charge" of the NYPD on 9/11 while Kerik was shadowing Giuliani, as he did for much of that day.

"Perhaps he can talk to his chief of department, who was my chief of department on that day," shot back Kerik, referring to Chief of Department Joe Esposito. "I am sure Joe will clarify things for him."

Told of Kerik's criticism, Kelly conceded: "He has a point."

Originally published on August 11, 2006


How sad. Giuliani did a great job with this city. Now that he's gone the violence is going up again.

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