#1. Rudy to the Rescue

Aug. 9, 2007

"I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. I was there working with them. I was there guiding things. I was the one bringing people there. I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I'm one of them."
— Rudy Giuliani, addressing reporters in Cincinnati and inadvertently handing his critics new ammunition regarding his role in the 9/11 recovery

Michael Palladino, head of the union of NYPD detectives, said the ex-mayor's record doesn't compare to those who spent 12 months sifting through toxic debris for evidence and human remains. Giuliani later said he had misspoken and was merely trying to express his empathy for their plight. Three months later, the president of NYPD's union publicly blasted Giuliani's performance as mayor and said the union would not endorse his presidential bid.