WASHINGTON — In an effort reminiscent of the bitter "Swift Boat" campaign during the 2004 presidential race, a group of New York firefighters who lost sons in the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks is organizing a political committee to take on former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani in Republican primary states.
A leader of the 9/11 Firefighters and Families group met Tuesday with union leaders and political consultants, readying plans to set up a tax-exempt committee that would fund appearances and a media drive against Giuliani.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday, December 28, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 3 inches; 97 words Type of Material: Correction
Giuliani campaign: An article in Section A on Dec. 19 about the relatives of fallen New York firefighters who are opposing Rudolph W. Giuliani's presidential bid said that another organization, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, had been fined for "acting in concert" with 2004 Republican presidential efforts. The Federal Election Commission in 2006 concluded that the group "did not unlawfully coordinate its activities" with individual candidates or political parties. The Swift Boat organization was fined for failing to register as a political committee and for raising millions of dollars over the limits that apply to those committees.
Jim Riches, a New York deputy fire chief whose firefighter son was killed during the attack, said the group aimed to raise doubts about the central premise of Giuliani's presidential campaign -- his leadership role on Sept. 11. "If we have to follow him around all 2008 we'll do it," Riches said.
Lauded as "America's Mayor" for his blunt talk and compassion after the attacks, Giuliani's political stock soared, and he built a multimillion-dollar consulting group emphasizing his leadership skills.
"A majority of firefighters believe that Rudy was a great leader on 9/11," said Howard Safir, who ran the New York Fire and Police departments under Giuliani and now heads First Responders for Rudy, a group affiliated with Giuliani's campaign.
But the former New York mayor's frequent references to Sept. 11 on the campaign trail have infuriated Riches and about 20 activists who lost firefighter sons. The New Yorkers blame Giuliani for decision-making failures that they say contributed to the deaths.
After protesting near Giuliani fundraising events in New York to little fanfare, they now plan to raise their voices in Florida, South Carolina and other primary states seen as essential to Giuliani's path to the GOP nomination. "When he announced his plans to run for president we felt he was doing it on the backs of our dead sons," Riches said.
The 9/11 group is already being compared by some political observers to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that damaged the candidacy of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004 by impugning his Vietnam War service in the Navy. Both groups feature a self-sustaining constituency of passionate supporters and are aided by outside political forces eager to use them as vehicles in the presidential race.
