Ed Rendell: Donald Trump Is Wrong To Blame George W. Bush For 9/11
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell admitted he was taken off guard by the assertion from Donald Trump that President George W. Bush was to blame for the attacks on 9/11 at the Republican debate in South Carolina and that Trump has yet to suffer any negative consequences in the polls.
Rendell, during an interview with Rich Zeoli on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, stated that no matter what Donald Trump says during this campaign, he never suffers a political penalty.
"I am surprised. Donald is so far ahead in South Carolina. Why do you want to do something that could rock the boat? Now, having said that, the polls that were released, PPP, a very accurate polling organization, came out with a poll today and Mr. Trump's leading by 17 points, 35 to 18. Which is the same margin that he won New Hampshire by. So it doesn't seem to have effected him. Nothing seems to effect him."
He also thought it was interesting that Trump seems to be using Democratic talking points to gain an advantage in the Republican presidential primary.
"I don't think you can blame George Bush for 9/11. But, on the one hand, it's not fair for his followers to say he kept us safe because he was the President who received the information a month before 9/11 that al Qaeda intended to blow up something in America. But normally those type of comments come from Democrats and George W Bush is still popular with Republicans, particularly in South Carolina. So I was confounded by the wisdom of Donald Trump doing that, but again, it hasn't seem to hurt him."
