News Copy, New York

Catholic Church Snubs Rudy Giuliani: No Al Smith Invite?

Rudy didn't get invited to the Al Smith Dinner?

Elizabeth Benjamin of the New York Daily News mentioned in her morning news roundup on that newspaper's blog The Daily Politics that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was not invited to the Al Smith Memorial Dinner.

Here's the transcript of Obama's Smith dinner speech, during which his sharpest jab was at Rudy Giuliani (who wasn't invited to the event).

The New York Post said Giuliani was "traveling in Europe" but our experience at News Copy has been that Ms. Benjamin's accuracy as a journalist is seldom off.

He's a former New York City Mayor.  He could be our next governor.  As a prosecutor, he probably went after more patent evil than any crime fighter in the history of the United States.

This is only an individual who led the tri-state area through one of its darkest hours ...

... And he couldn't get invited to the Al Smith Dinner?

Okay, so Rudy is divorced.  So are a lot of other people, for good and bad reasons that are matters of conscience.  Things are not always what they seem.  Meanwhile, the dinner has always been a moment when candidates court the Catholic vote.

Very few of the ambitious in the Waldorf-Astoria last night were political virgins.

Then again, there is a history of Rudy (and Hillary Clinton) snubbing Cardinal Egan -- as New York Magazine reported last year -- so perhaps this was political payback (as much as one would expect more noble gestures from a bishop).

Daily Intel at NY Mag wanted to know what all the fuss was about:

"Okay, we understand why Rudy wouldn't want to show his face — he gets a lot of heat from the Church about his stance on abortion, and also he's been kind of a jerk about New York lately. Plus, he's already had his photo op with the Brits. But Hillary? Cardinal Egan has stood up for her in the past, saying he is her "friend" despite her support of pro-choice federal policies. So what gives? Why the snub? Is it the hat? Oh, God, it's the hat, isn't it?"

Both Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani "turned down" their invitations last year to the charity event.

Al Smith Dinner: Obama and McCain Have Some Fun

The Atlantic reports that Obama had some fun tonight at the Al Smith Dinner in Manhattan.

"There was a point in my life when I started palling around with a pretty ugly crowd.... that's right... I've been a member of the United States Senate."

ABC News reported that McCain had his fun too.

"I can't shake that feeling that some people here are pulling for me," McCain said, turning to the far side of the stage. "I'm delighted to see you here tonight, Hillary."

The annual roast, which raised $3.9 million last night to help underprivileged children, is dedicated to the memory of former Democratic New York Gov. Al Smith, the first Catholic to win the presidential nomination of a major political party, who lost to Republican Herbert Hoover in 1928, 444 electoral votes to 87.

Jonathan Martin at Politico assessed that McCain ruled the night:

McCain began with a "major announcement."

"Yes, it's true, that this morning I dismissed my entire team of senior advisers," he said.  "All of their positions will now be held by a man named Joe the plumber."

In the self-deprecation department, McCain noted that Joe had just "recently signed a very lucrative contract with a wealthy couple to handle all the work on all seven of their houses."

And should the market improve, McCain predicted that at the "first sign of recovery [Obama] will suspend his campaign and fly immediately to Washington to address this crisis."

He also recalled that Oprah had called Obama "The One" -- something his own campaign also picked up.

"Being a friend and colleague of Barack, I just called him 'that one,'" McCain said. 

"He doesn't mind at all.  In fact, he even has a pet name for me -- 'George Bush.'"

The New York Daily News reported that the dinner surpassed its goal of $2.5 milion.

You-Tube had plenty of video from the dinner: