Giuliani Talks Terror, Efficient Government

Saturday, June 30th 2007, 9:15 pm

By: News On 6

NEW ORLEANS (AP) _ The car bomb scare in London and the attack Saturday at the Glasgow airport underscore the need for secure borders for the United States, Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said Saturday.

``This is the United Kingdom,'' he said. ``They have security that is at least equal to ours; they have intelligence services that have even had more experience with terrorism than ours has, you know, they have to be subjected to this. We're in an era in which we need to know everyone who's in the United States.''

Giuliani, who was mayor of New York at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, said the federal government needs to ensure that its borders are secure.

``We need to end illegal immigration,'' he said. ``If we do, a lot of things can happen, in terms of how you resolve everything here. But if you don't end illegal immigration, almost nothing is possible, because no matter what you do, things are going to get worse.''

Giuliani is proposing ``tamper-proof'' ID cards and a database that would track people in the United States from foreign countries. He also suggested strengthening enforcement at border crossings.

Giuliani, who spoke near the spot where a canal levee broke during Hurricane Katrina, said government at all levels failed after that storm hit on Aug. 29, 2005. He said he is accustomed to making government run more efficiently and believes he could do that as president.

So does Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who is supporting Giuliani.

``I think all this has to do with competence and leadership and making things work, and I think Rudy has the best proven track record in that, by far, among presidential candidates,'' he said, Giuliani at his side.

Giuliani was on his first trip to New Orleans as a presidential hopeful. He was last here in April 2006, for a tour of areas like the hard-hit Lower 9th Ward and a briefing on levee protection and coastal wetland restoration, campaign spokesman Elliott Bundy said.

Virtually no major Republican candidates have visited New Orleans, or Louisiana, in recent months. Sen. John McCain did, in August, before announcing his run for president. His was a fundraising appearance in Baton Rouge for GOP state candidates.

Several major Democratic candidates, including Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards, have visited, in some cases, several times. Edwards announced his candidacy in a still-devastated New Orleans neighborhood.

Giuliani was attending a private fundraiser in suburban Metairie Saturday evening, Bundy said.