Former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani comes out very strongly in support of George W. Bush and his campaign advertisements: Giuliani Defends Bush on 9/11 Ad. (Hat tip: jhs.)

Referring to the controversial ad, Giuliani said, “Well, if you left out September 11, 2001, I think people would be asking, ‘Why is he leaving it out?’ That was probably the biggest challenge that he’s faced.”

Giuliani, who won praise for his handling of the 9/11 catastrophe, said Bush deserved praise for his efforts nationally.

“Those of us who support him think he did a terrific job in getting the country through it,” Giuliani said. “You know, other people on the other side have taken shots at him for not doing as good a job. So it’s kind of unrealistic to think you’re not going to have that as part of the political debate.”

Commenting on criticism that President Bush did not appear at Ground Zero immediately, Giuliani said the president took significant risks in visiting the World Trade Center site.

“The fact is President Bush was there,” Giuliani said.

“I was there when he was there. He was there on September 14, 2001. He came there, particularly to Ground Zero, against the advice of the Secret Service. He remained there an extraordinary length of time. And it was dangerous for him to be there because there were fires of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit under the ground and there was no place to put him that would be absolutely safe.”

Giuliani said that Bush’s visit “inspired the men and women who worked there by remaining there so long.”

He recalled the scene vividly to Russert: “They could see the Secret Service coming, trying to take him out, you know, touching his arm to say, ‘OK, Mr. President, it’s time to leave.’ The president wouldn’t leave. He made a connection with those men and women that’s real. It happened at that time. He was there when it was dangerous. He was there when the action was going on.”