SHADY DEALINGS Giuliani (Photo: Getty Images)
How much exactly would it cost to get Rudy Giuliani to holster his overdone 9/11 sanctimony? The government for the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar might have a good idea.

Following earlier reports that Giuliani was still getting paid by the consulting firm he created, Mary Jacoby of the Wall Street Journal sheds light on some potentially problematic sources of Giuliani's private income. Chief among them is Qatar, the U.S. ally that paid Giuliani Partners for "security advice" regarding their petroleum facilities. The article uncovers a "potential political pitfall" for Giuliani's candidacy and image given Qatar's spotty record in fighting Al Qaeda, but it stops short of explicitly addressing an aspect of the business arrangement that could dog Giuliani during his quest for the presidency.

Specifically, the ostensible chief consumer of Giuliani's security advice in this case would be Qatar's internal security ministry—currently headed by a known Al Qaeda associate.

As Radar reported earlier this year, Qatar Interior Minister Abdullah bin Khalid Al-Thani has long had ties to top Al Qaeda operatives including Osama Bin Laden, and is believed by many U.S. officials to have personally arranged the narrow escape of Al Qaeda big-wig Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from U.S. agents in 1996, thereby ensuring his freedom to mastermind the 9/11 attacks.

Qatar's stability and the petroleum facilities Giuliani's firm helped protect are vital to American interests. But Giuliani's incessant 9/11 know-it-all-ism, his refusal to release specifics of the case, and his decision to remain on the firm's payroll while running for president make the whole deal fair game for speculation. Wise opposition researchers charged with sinking Giuliani are undoubtedly trawling for more details, envisioning hyperbolic mail pieces and television ads showing Mr. 9/11 happily dispensing his sage "security advice" for a few bucks to a known Al Qaeda supporter who personally helped make the 9/11 attacks happen. (Incidentally, public reports about the minister's apparent Al Qaeda ties came out in 2003, two years before Giuliani's firm agreed to work with Qatar.)

Such imagery would provide a stark contrast to the pious Giuliani of 2001 who on behalf of the city rejected Saudi Prince (and 'Stache Register honoree) Alwaleed Bin Talal's offer of $10 million in disaster assistance. In that instance, the prince's assertion that U.S. policies were partly to blame for the 9/11 attacks made his money dirty in Giuliani's eyes. Take-home message: Suggesting generally that American policies may have contributed to the 9/11 attacks is a far worse crime in Hizzoner's eyes than actually having played a role in the attack itself. Look out Ron Paul!