Durbin, a legend in his own mind.
Ineffective senator has few friends, defenders
suntimes.com
July 25, 2003
BY STEVE NEAL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Run that by me one more time. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) is accusing the Bush White House of trying to smear him.
"If you come to the floor of the Senate and stand before a microphone and are critical of this administration for their policy or use of intelligence," he said, "be prepared for the worst."
In a bizarre spectacle, Durbin told a national television audience: "The White House is going to turn to you and attack you. They are going to question your patriotism."
Why is this man ranting? Until he invented this issue, nobody had impugned his patriotism.
There are legitimate questions about the Bush administration's use of intelligence in making the case for war against Saddam Hussein.
The unreality of Durbin's performance is that he is so lightly regarded by the White House that he was ignored last year when President Bush targeted Democratic senators.
Bush campaigned against Senators Max Cleland of Georgia; Jean Carnahan of Missouri; Timothy Johnson of South Dakota; Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and the late Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. While the GOP won three of these Democratic seats, Durbin got a pass.
He is such a nonentity that a 2001 front-page analysis in the New York Times mistook him for former Sen. Alan J. Dixon (D-Ill.). He is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Senate. Durbin is without relevance and gets no respect.
That may explain why he took the Senate floor the other day and claimed that the Bush administration was out to get him. When a senator attacks the White House, it makes headlines.
"When it goes to the point of questioning my integrity over my service on the Intelligence Committee," he told Roll Call, "that really is as serious as it gets."
Bush spokesmen denied Durbin's unsubstantiated charges. But the senator alleged that the smear campaign against him is part of a "continuing pattern."
Durbin is always moaning. He recently telephoned Gov. Blagojevich to complain about his lack of influence. The senator might have more clout in Springfield if he had supported Blagojevich when it mattered. But Durbin encouraged former Chicago schools chief Paul Vallas to run against Blagojevich, then abandoned him when Vallas slipped in the polls.
Is it any wonder that Durbin isn't a player in the Blagojevich administration?
The senator also whines that he's unappreciated at City Hall. Mayor Daley is underwhelmed by Durbin's job performance. As Robert Novak reported in his column, the mayor vetoed Durbin from consideration three years ago as a running mate for Al Gore. In the 1996 Democratic primary for the Senate, Durbin won without Daley's endorsement.
It is doubtful whether Durbin's reckless attack on Bush's men will improve his standing with Blagojevich or Daley. House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and Rep. William O. Lipinski (D-Ill.) are the go-to guys for Blagojevich and Daley.
Within the Illinois delegation, Durbin has few defenders. As a candidate for re-election last year, he held press conferences gratuitously attacking Sen. Peter G. Fitzgerald (R-Ill.). While taking a stance of public neutrality, he had close ties to primary challengers to Representatives Luis V. Gutierrez and Rahm Emanuel. He is referred to by Illinois colleagues as "Tricky Dick."
It is typical Durbin that he is skewering aides in the White House press office instead of going after their boss.
He does the same thing in Illinois Democratic politics. Durbin falsely accused media consultant David Axelrod of trying to recruit a primary challenger against him.
He also has gratuitously badmouthed Tom Carey, former executive director of the Cook County Democratic Central Committee, and veteran strategist Joe Novak.
Just as Durbin accused the Bush White House of running a campaign against him, he has made similar allegations against these Chicago Democrats.
In his Tuesday speech, Durbin portayed himself as a martyr. But this harmless blowhard isn't on Bush's enemies list. |
