by Christi Parsons
ST. CHARLES, Mo. — Rudy Giuliani today described the current terrorist threat against the U.S. as “existential,” but argued that Middle Eastern nations could one day be American friends through stronger cultural and economic ties.
Marking Veterans Day with a town hall meeting in this suburban St. Louis community, the Republican presidential candidate called for stronger relations aimed at moving the region toward modernity.
“There’s an existential threat to this country,” Giuliani said. “And if you can’t at least face up to it, I don’t think you can lead this country.”
“We should be engaging — commercially, culturally –- with all those in the Arab world that want to do business with us,” Giuliani said, “whether it’s Jordan, or Kuwait . . . or countries that aren’t friends yet but aren’t sponsoring terrorism.”
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Giuliani said some Americans may be uncomfortable with Arab leaders who aren’t speaking out against terrorism more strongly, but, he said, “You’d have to live there to understand why.”
“Let’s get them more engaged with American commerce, American culture,” he said. “And we begin that movement toward being modern countries.”The U.S. must be “very much on the offense” against terrorism, Giuliani said, but “on the other hand, we should be open to engaging people commercially, culturally . . . We can help move them in a direction where we can be friends.”
During the question-and-answer period of the meeting, Giuliani singled out a man wearing the uniform of a local veterans’ group. The man told the former New York mayor that he served in World War II, in the Pacific theater.
Perfect example, Giuliani said.
“Our enemies in World War II are now our best friends,” he said. “Not only did you win . . . but America handled it in such a way that countries that were our mortal enemies” are now friends.
“I believe exactly the same thing is possible with all these countries,” Giulian said. “Some are enemies . . . I think all that can change over the course of twenty or thirty years.”
That won’t come about just from “wishing for it,” he said. “It doesn’t come from holding hands and singing about it.”
Pointing to the veteran, he said, “That is the ultimate patriotism.”