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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (336184)	1/2/2003 8:40:53 AM
From: D.Austin	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769667

Let me be clear today----On March 2, John Kerry took the podium at a political dinner in New Hampshire to defend Mr. Daschle, a colleague who is likely to become his rival for their party's Presidential nomination. What the Massachusetts Senator said about Messrs. Lott and DeLay-and, by implication, about all the would-be White House enforcers-deserved more attention than a single article in his hometown paper, The Boston Globe. Kerry Fires Back At G.O.P. Snipers by Joe Conason March 10, 2002\|9:37 AM We are living in a time when scoundrels seek to bully the loyal opposition and demonize all dissent for their own advancement. That's why certain Republican politicians and pundits have assaulted Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and other Democrats in terms usually reserved for foreign and domestic enemies. What has been even more troubling than this ugly campaign, however, is the passivity of those who are its targets. Mr. Daschle and his colleagues have remained inert during recent weeks and months, while their adversaries compared him with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and accused him of giving "aid and comfort" to the nation's enemies. They have stood by in silence while authoritarian propaganda emanated from Republican fax machines and spread across the country. They've allowed the South Dakota Democrat, an Air Force veteran and bio-terror target, to be taunted like a traitor by Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and other tough-talkers who avoided military service as if it were anthrax. From the outset of the G.O.P. jihad against Mr. Daschle last autumn, it has been obvious that the motives of his critics are partisan and political rather than patriotic. Their aim is to regain control of the Senate next November, and they will use whatever divisive means are at their disposal. With no real provocation, Trent Lott, the former Senate Majority Leader, and Tom DeLay, the House Majority Whip, seized upon a few mild remarks uttered by Mr. Daschle about the Bush administration's policy and rhetoric. His comments were not only careful and inoffensive, as always, but-as recent events in Afghanistan have proved-quite prophetic. "I don't think the success has been overstated," said Mr. Daschle, "but the continued success, I think, is still somewhat in doubt. Clearly, we've got to find Mohammad Omar, we've got to find Osama bin Laden, and we've got to find other key leaders of the Al Qaeda network, or we will have failed. We're not safe until we have broken the back of Al Qaeda, and we haven't done that yet." The Republicans reacted as if mentioning the obvious is now worthy of punishment by a military tribunal. Mr. Lott, who missed the chance to serve in Vietnam, pretended to be outraged: "How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?" he cried, as if he hadn't repeatedly criticized Bill Clinton when Americans were in harm's way overseas. Mr. DeLay called the Daschle comments "disgusting." As for Mr. Daschle, he didn't retreat, but neither did he fight back. So it was refreshing to hear at last from a patriot who found his voice and addressed the Republican Congressional leadership in the tone that they deserve. The first Democrat to speak up was, unsurprisingly, a Senator who has been both a war hero and a war protester. you can go to this rag for the whole story-http://www.observer.com/pages/conason.asp