Giuliani criticizes Obama’s handling of Afghan war

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani used revelations in a new book about the Obama administration to criticize the president’s handling of the war in Afghanistan, saying his insistence on an exit strategy has put American forces at greater risk.

Giuliani also took issue with a quote attributed to President Obama by author Bob Woodward — that the country could “absorb” another terrorist attack like the one suffered in September 2001.

“I don’t know that I would have said that,” Giuliani told reporters on a conference call Wednesday. “The country has to be prepared for anything that can happen, and will deal with anything that would happen. I would prefer the president would put his efforts into doing everything to prevent another September 11.”

Giuliani, who led New York on the day of those attacks, said Obama’s response to crises like the Fort Hood shooting and the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an airliner heading for Detroit show “an unwillingness to come to grips with what we’re facing.”

“The tone set at the top has a big impact on how a bureaucracy operates,” he said. “And I think if the president would be more forthright about the fact that we are facing an Islamic extremist threat, that political correctness would not overrule common sense in making decisions about it.”

Giuliani minimized reports of internal disputes in the West Wing, outlined in excerpts from Woodward’s soon-to-be-released book, “Obama’s Wars,” by saying that such strife is common in any administration.

“My real concern is, from the moment the president announced his strategy, he put this timetable for withdrawal out there,” he said of the president’s Afghanistan plan. “It would seem to me that you’re just giving the enemy a period of time to pressure you into withdrawing even faster by trying to kill more of your troops. And I think that the increase in violence in Afghanistan -- although it has many causes, one of them could be the fact that we’ve announced that at least we have in mind a period of time when we’re going to start withdrawing our troops.”

The White House has not disputed initial leaks from Woodward’s book, not due to be released for another week.

“I hope people will read the book and not read what somebody might have thought was the book,” press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Air Force One.

Giuliani also addressed a range of local political questions, particularly the race for governor in New York. He would not say whether he would endorse the Republican nominee, Carl Paladino, because he has not met the candidate.

“He hasn’t called me to ask for my endorsement. I don’t endorse people that I don’t know and who haven’t asked for it, so I have no basis on which to make an assessment,” he said.

Giuliani had endorsed Rick Lazio, who lost to Paladino in the Republican primary but who remains on the November ballot as the nominee for the state Conservative Party. Lazio is said to be considering withdrawing from the race, but offered no hints of his plans during an appearance in Albany earlier Wednesday.

Giuliani, a failed candidate for president in 2008 who has not ruled out another run for elected office, said he was inclined to support a Republican in the race and was unlikely to back Democrat Andrew Cuomo, as Michael Bloomberg, his successor in City Hall, did earlier this week.

During his first year as mayor in 1994, Giuliani endorsed Cuomo’s father, Mario, over Republican George Pataki in the gubernatorial race. Pataki proceeded to upset the three-term governor.

mmemoli@tribune.com

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