Tonight in his address to the Republican National Convention, Giuliani criticized Democrats for refusing to use the term “Islamic terrorism”:

GIULIANI: For four days in Denver, the Democrats were afraid to use the term “Islamic terrorism.” I imagine they believe it is politically incorrect to say it. I think they believe they will insult someone. Please tell me, who they are insulting if they say, “Islamic terrorism.” They are insulting terrorists!

Not surprisingly, Giuliani also said he wanted Democrats to invoke the 9/11 terrorist attacks more often. Watch it:

Experts, including those in the Bush administration, disagree. The issue goes beyond just “insulting” someone. Such religious rhetoric is actually counterproductive in combating terrorism:

– Department of Homeland Security: U.S. officials may be “unintentionally portraying terrorists, who lack moral and religious legitimacy, as brave fighters, legitimate soldiers or spokesmen for ordinary Muslims.”

– National Counter Terrorism Center: “Avoid labeling everything ‘Muslim.’ It reinforces the ‘U.S. vs. Islam’ framework that Al-Qaeda promotes. Be specific (Egyptian, Pakistani) and descriptive (South Asian youth, Arab opinion leaders), where possible.”

– Ret. Gen. John Abizaid: “I mean, even adding the word Islamic extremism, or qualifying it to Sunni Islamic extremism, or qualifying it further to Sunni Islamic extermism as exemplified by government such as Bin Laden, all make it very, very difficult [to fight terrorism] because the battle of words is meaningful, especially in the Middle East to people.”

– Islamic Society of North America: “If it’s not our intent to paint everyone with the same brush, then certainly we should think seriously about just characterizing them as criminals, because that is what they are.”

Railing against “Islamic” extremists and terrorists is one of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) favorite talking points as well. “Senator McCain refers to it that way because that is what it is,” campaign adviser Steve Schmidt said in April, defending the rhetoric.

Michael Isikoff reports that the McCain campaign “has hastily assembled a team of former Bush White House aides to tutor the vice-presidential candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, on foreign-policy issues, to write her speeches and to begin preparing her for her all-important Oct. 2 debate against Sen. Joe Biden.”

Leading this team is Steve Biegun, who has been hired as chief foreign-policy adviser to Gov. Palin. Last Friday, “Biegun flew to St. Paul and, together with McCain’s foreign-policy guru Randy Schuenemann, began briefings for Palin on national-security issues — an area where her resume is conspicuously thin.”

A little background on Steve Biegun:

- In 2001, Biegun was appointed Executive Secretary of the National Security Council by President Bush.

- In 2003 Biegun joined the staff of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist as national security adviser.

- In 2004, Biegun was hired by Ford Motor Co. as part of Ford’s effort to “rev up its Washington government affairs operation.” Biegun is now on leave from Ford to work for McCain.

Notably, from 1992 to 1994, Biegun served as the Resident Director in the Russian Federation for the International Republican Institute, a democracy-promoting organization for which McCain has served as chairman since 1993.

In July, the New York Times reported that “an examination of [McCain's] leadership of the Republican institute — one of the least-chronicled aspects of his political life — reveals an organization in many ways at odds with the political outsider image that has become a touchstone of the McCain campaign for president”:

[The IRI is] something of a revolving door for lobbyists and out-of-power Republicans that offers big donors a way of helping both the party and the institute’s chairman, who is the second sitting member of Congress — and now candidate for president — ever to head one of the democracy groups.

Operating without the sort of limits placed on campaign fund-raising, the institute under Mr. McCain has solicited millions of dollars for its operations from some 560 defense contractors, lobbying firms, oil companies and other corporations, many with issues before Senate committees Mr. McCain was on.

As to the sort of foreign policy ideology with which Biegun will be inculcating Palin, Steve Clemons of the New America Foundation told Isikoff that Biegun “will turn [Palin] into an advocate of Cheneyism and Cheney’s view of national-security issues.”

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