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CNN Live Sunday

'TIME' Magazine Chooses Giuliani as Person of the Year

Aired December 23, 2001 - 15:43   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now to "TIME" magazine's person of the year. A true hero of New York and perhaps the rest of the country, Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He is leaving office next month after two consecutive terms. Mayor Giuliani actually spent most of this morning giving credit to New Yorkers for their tremendous strength and spirit in the face of adversity. Here's CNN's Brian Palmer.

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BRIAN PALMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani joins the ranks of this century's historic figures. From Nelson Mandela to Bill Clinton to Albert Einstein, named "TIME" magazine's person of the year for his decisive yet compassionate leadership following the September 11 attacks.

MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI, NEW YORK CITY: I want to express my appreciation, not only personal, but for the people of the city of New York. Because I believe that I wasn't selected, I believe the people of the city of New York were selected.

PALMER: For many people in New York, residents as well as visitors like Harold and Yvonne Nelson, it was the right decision.

HAROLD NELSON, TOURIST: I think it's absolutely appropriate for Rudy. He's turned the city around; he's got people back. That's why we're here. We felt like it was no better place to celebrate Christmas.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love everything Rudy's done after the disaster. He brought us confidence enough to come back here.

PALMER: There were a few skeptics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel that fame sort of fell on him because he was in the right place -- or I should say, the wrong place at the right time.

PALMER: Janice and Dan Fischler, husband and wife, were split on the Giuliani selection.

JANICE FISCHLER, TOURIST: I think I like the choice of Rudy Giuliani, because I think he handled himself way in the days and weeks after the incident. He was very human and very efficient at the same time. DAN FISCHLER, TOURIST: It seems like kind of the -- maybe the politically correct choice. I think it might have offended some people had they selected Osama bin Laden.

PALMER: Osama bin Laden was in the running. So was President Bush, "TIME's" person of the year for 2000. And so were the firefighters of New York City. "TIME's" person of the year is chosen for his or her impact on the world, whether for good or ill, which could explain some of their more controversial choices: Adolf Hitler in 1938; in 1939 and 1942, Joseph Stalin, premier and prime architect of the Soviet police state.

"Bin laden didn't measure up," says "TIME" magazine Managing Editor Jim Kelly. He made the final decision this year.

JIM KELLY, MANAGING EDITOR, TIME: This is not a -- a man of towering strength. He struck me as a -- as a moral pipsqueak who -- who didn't even think what he had launched would be as -- as horrific as it was. I mean, this is not someone who deserves to be person of the year.

PALMER: Instead, a grateful city celebrates its mayor on the eve of his departure from office. Brian Palmer, CNN, New York.

LIN: Well, if a recent CNN "TIME" magazine poll is any indication, plenty of people can see Rudy Giuliani running for another office some day. Sixty-eight percent of those asked said they'd like to see Giuliani as a senator. The same percentage thought he'd make a pretty good governor. Forty-five percent said they could see him as vice president, and 25 percent said he'd make a good president. All right. We'll see what happens.

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