EDITORIAL MAN OF THE HOUR GIULIANI EXEMPLIFIES STRONG LEADERSHIP.WHEN asked about the thunderous thun·der·ous adj. 1. Producing thunder or a similar sound. 2. Loud and unrestrained in a way that suggests thunder: thunderous applause. , standing ovation he received from the U.S. Congress on Thursday night, New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. Mayor Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani (born May 28, 1944) is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from the state of New York. Formerly Mayor of New York City, Giuliani is currently seeking the Republican nomination in the 2008 United States presidential election. was quick to pass along the credit. The applause, he said, was really for the ``brave men and women who sacrificed their lives'' at the World Trade Center. That's the sort of humility Giuliani - who often has embodied political arrogance - has shown since tragedy began to unfold on the morning of Sept. 11. That day's horrific events have truly been transformative for many Americans - turning airline passengers into heroes, firefighters into martyrs, Americans everywhere into compassionate and generous volunteers. It's made George W. Bush, the narrow winner of the country's closest and hardest fought election, the respected and admired leader of a unified nation. And it's turned Rudy Giuliani, a lame duck An elected official, who is to be followed by another, during the period of time between the election and the date that the successor will fill the post. The term lame duck generally describes one who holds power when that power is certain to end in the near future. and often controversial mayor, into the archetypal ar·che·type n. 1. An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype: "'Frankenstein' . . . 'Dracula' . . . 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' . . . public servant. Giuliani was in his car, on the way to City Hall, when he got news that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. In an incredible act of bravery, he had his driver head down to ground zero, where, if the first tower had crumbled in a different direction, he could have been killed. He saw the second tower collapse with his own eyes, and he made his way - by foot - out of lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. Lower Manhattan is generally defined as the area delineated on the north by Chambers Street, on the west by the Hudson River (North and back to safety. Since then, he has been a steady and reassuring leader: establishing his city's safety, mourning its dead, celebrating its future, affirming its resolve and planning for its future. He has been strong and confident, but not egotistic. And his tireless, round-the-clock service has been free of the political calculation that all too often governs politicians' behavior. For Giuliani, the last 12 days haven't been about polls, fund raising, special interests or the next campaign. Instead, he's resolutely res·o·lute adj. Firm or determined; unwavering. [Middle English, dissolved, dissolute, from Latin resol focused on working for the New Yorkers who have twice elected him to office. This is what public service is supposed to be. It's taken a tragedy - and Giuliani's extraordinary leadership - to remind us. We hope our local elected officials learn from his example. Politicians are in ill-repute because they so often seem to serve themselves and special interests rather than being humble servants of the people. Can't they all be more like Mayor Rudy? |
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