Giuliani Takes On Liberal Group

Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani moved to thwart a liberal anti-war group's attack on him for resigning from a high-profile panel on the Iraq war. Giuliani has come under fire from MoveOn.org over his decision to withdraw from the Iraq Study Group last year as it debated recommendations for President George W. Bush on how to change course in Iraq. MoveOn.org has bought $50,000 in television time in the early voting state of Iowa for an ad to run starting on Wednesday that labels Giuliani "AWOL" for resigning from the panel after serving for two months. "Republican voters should ask: 'Giuliani: Where were you when it counted?' 'Rudy Giuliani. A betrayal of trust,'" the MoveOn.org ad states. Giuliani has said he resigned from the Iraq Study Group because he could not devote the amount of time necessary to it and, as he pondered a run for the presidency, did not want to be seen as politicizing the panel.His campaign said it will launch a new radio ad in Iowa starting on Tuesday that says the group is attacking him because he is the Democrats' "worst nightmare" for the November 2008 presidential election. "They know Rudy is a Republican who can beat the Democrats. And they know, no matter what they say, Rudy will never, ever back down," the Giuliani ad says. The flap between the liberal anti-war group and the former New York mayor began last week in the hoopla over the congressional testimony about the Iraq war given by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, who said Bush's troop build-up was making progress. The group published an ad in The New York Times referring to Petraeus as "Gen. Betray Us," prompting outrage from Giuliani and other Republicans. Spokeswoman Maria Comella said Giuliani considers any attack from MoveOn.org a "badge of honor."