The man who became famous for his leadership in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, seems to have forgotten his role in the tragedy. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos of “Good Morning America”, Giuliani criticized President Obama’s approach to fighting extremism around the globe and ended notably by saying that “We had no domestic attacks under Bush. We’ve had one under Obama.”

Giuliani has since corrected his remarks, saying that he meant there were no domestic attacks after 9/11. But even with this caveat his original statement is not true. The anthrax attacks of late 2001 were classified as “terrorist acts” by the Director of the CIA and the U.S. Attorney General. Richard Reid failed to detonate an explosive concealed in his shoe in December 2001 and is now serving a life sentence without parole in a super maximum security prison. And the beltway sniper attacks that took the lives of ten in the D.C. area resulted in a conviction on charges of terrorism in 2003 for John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo.

But Giuliani is not alone in his glossing over of history. His statements reflect a disturbing trend in conservative rhetoric over the past few weeks. Dana Perino, the last White House Press Secretary under Bush, claimed in an interview that “We did not have a terrorist attack on the country during President Bush’s term.” And prominent Republican strategist Mary Matalin said that Bush inherited the September 11th attacks from President Clinton.

It certainly seems as though Republicans are trying to rewrite history, preying on genuine inattentiveness and willful ignorance. They are trying to return to the glory days of Reagan by convincing voters that the Democrats are weak on terror and hopelessly idealistic, while they are the only ones who can keep our country safe. Their argument hits a bit of a snag when you consider that the most deadly attack on American soil in history happened on their watch. But when an inconvenient tragedy like September 11th disputes their claims, they either ignore it or blame it on someone else.

I suppose it is understandable that Republicans want to paint Bush’s presidency in a different light. So little went well for them during those eight years. But to do so at the cost of denying history is absurd. Republicans are treating the American people like they are complete buffoons. Everybody who understands that September comes after January knows that Bush was President during 9/11, not to mention during the subsequent anthrax, shoe-bomb, and beltway sniper attacks. This sad attempt to rewrite history should be an insult to every American.

Now, there is a legitimate debate over how we should respond to terrorist attacks, our role in the Middle East, and our nation’s foreign policy in general, but that debate does not extend to indisputable historical events. Republicans could do with heeding John Adams’s advice: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

Skilled propagandists throughout history have agreed that if you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.

The best way to avoid this is to have an informed public. Because having a public that knows something is our best defense against ever electing public officials like George Bush and Rudy Giuliani who seem to know nothing.

Jason Febery is a junior in Engineering.