From a reader:

Jonah,
After Ron Paul indicated that “blowback” was to blame for 9/11,
Giuliani said he had “never heard” that explanation. Can that be
right? Is it possible that “America’s Mayor,” the guy who’s pinning
his entire campaign on his relationship to and understanding of 9/11,
hasn’t ever heard of blowback?

Me: As much as I disagree with Paul and side with Giuliani in the exchange, I had the same reaction to Giuliani’s statement that he “never heard” that theory. He must have. But, I chalked it up to rhetorical, sarcastic, flourish. In the post-debate interview Giuliani seemed to say that he’d heard that sort of thing from Democrats before which would confirm that interpretation.