Giuliani Prioritizes Fundraising Over Serving With Iraq Study Group

[Hissyspit]

Giuliani is a real piece of work...

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/19/giuliani-cash-iraq

Giuliani Prioritizes Fundraising Over Iraq Strategy

Newsday reports new details behind Rudy Giuliani’s departure from the Iraq Study Group last May, after serving just two months on the panel. After he failed to show up for a single official meeting of the group, the chairman of the panel — James Baker — gave him “a stark choice: either attend the meetings or quit.”

Giuliani resigned in a May 24 letter to Baker, explaining that “my previous time commitments do not permit me the full and active participation that the Iraq Study Group deserves.”

Newsday reports that Giuliani’s alleged “previous time commitments” were simply fundraisers that conflicted with the Iraq Study Group’s meetings. “The sessions at times conflicted with Giuliani’s lucrative speaking tour that garnered him $11.4 million in 14 months.” The ISG held three sessions during Giuliani’s tenure in 2006 but that he did not show up for: working sessions on April 11 and 12, and May 18 and 19.

Giuliani failed to show up for a pair of two-day sessions that occurred during his tenure, the sources said — and both times, they conflicted with paid public appearances shown on his recent financial disclosure. Giuliani quit the group during his busiest stretch in 2006, when he gave 20 speeches in a single month that brought in $1.7 million.

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Stephen Hess, a scholar at Brookings, said quitting the group is a reflection of Giuliani’s poor leadership and decision-making. “Leaving that study group was not exactly an act of courage,” said Hess.

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[Gabi Hayes]

1. I didn't even know he was a part of the ISG. Anyone care to guess what sort of

M$M coverage this will get?

will any of his GOP opponents mention it?

and does the M$M EVER cover contretemps between Rudy and his opponents, or is it always Mitt vs. Brownback, etc?

[Gabi Hayes]

2. shadow-of-self David Gregory asked Bill Paxson, one of RG's mouthpieces, about this.

it was FUN to see Paxson squirm, trying to justify his canceling out on his sworn duty to the group

how many followup questions do you think Gregory asked?

[Hissyspit]

3. .