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Posted: September 25, 2007 4:21 PM
Giuliani Protests Ahmadinejad Visit to New York City
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As Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting this week, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani seized the chance to denounce the defiant leader.

“Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an enemy of America, Israel, and the entire free world. We should never remain silent when evil makes an appearance. We will not allow a nuclear Iran. Period.” read a statement released by Giuliani ahead of Monday’s rally outside the United Nations building.

Late last week, Giuliani argued against granting Ahmadinejad’s request to visit Ground Zero, the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that occurred during Giuliani’s term as mayor, a request that the New York Police Department denied. “This is a man who has made threats against America and Israel, is harboring Bin Laden’s son and other al-Qaida leaders, is shipping arms to Iraqi insurgents and is pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.”

Columbia University did welcome the Iranian leader, however, to speak as part of its lecture series, an invitation that Giuliani said he would not have extended.

“Thousands of people conceivably would want to speak at Columbia, they only pick a certain number, and it would seem to me you don’t pick somebody who is the biggest — the head of the government that’s the biggest sponsor of state terrorism in the world, a government that is by every indication that we have presently engaged in activities that are resulting in the death of American troops, someone who has threatened the existence of the state of Israel, denied the Holocaust,” Giuliani said in an interview Monday with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

On Monday, Alec MacGillis of The Washington Post wrote a front page article about the Giuliani campaign’s terrorism focus, comparing the former mayor’s campaign trail statements on his strong commitment to terrorism with his record, writing, “For most of Giuliani’s career as a Department of Justice official, prosecutor and New York’s chief executive, terrorism was a narrow aspect of his crime-fighting agenda.”

The campaign did not respond to requests for comment on the article.

Giuliani was in London last week visiting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He was in town to accept the Atlantic Bridge Award from another former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Last Friday, Giuliani was at the Michigan GOP Leadership Conference dinner and the National Rifle Association in Washington, D.C.

His NRA speech tried to assuage the influential group — Giuliani once called its members “extremists” and filed a lawsuit against gun manufacturers while mayor.

Giuliani told the crowd that he faced different challenges as New York City mayor when he was at odds with the NRA and that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed his views on gun rights, strengthening his belief in the constitutional right for Americans to own weapons for protection.

But while his speech received tepid response alongside the other Republican candidates, Giuliani did create a buzz moment when he answered a call from his wife Judith while delivering his speech.

Giuliani’s Republican rivals, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney also appeared before the NRA.