Interesting. Was tne DNC emulating Saddam, as the #2 reply suggests, or were they reading FR?
On January 6, in a comment I made to a post about Bush's campaigning plans, I accused him of having been a doormat to the likes of HRC, TK, TD etc.
On February 6, I repeated that complaint in a comment regarding Reagan (who would at least have come up with an intelligent, pointed and witty reposte to McAuliffe's action - sort of like his comment regarding not doubting Mondale's patriotism, just his judgement, which we see everyone using now).
I further used the characterization in faxes I sent to a number of Senators and Congressmen (Republican ones), as well as several conservative news outlets (The Washington Times, National Review, and American Spectator).
Anyway, my point is not so much who said what first, but that Bush has indeed been acting like a doormat. It's hard to respect a doormat. Its hard to put up with frustrations in support of a doormat (as was described yesterday in a posting from an Insight Magazine aticle dated May 27, 2002 on fighting the Clinton partisans in the Pentagon). It's hard to get excited about voting or campaigning for a doormat. And it must be hard for kindler, gentler Liberals to support a doormat's judicial nominees, especially when his leaders are making fun of said doormat.
And, as McAuliffe showed, it is very easy to make fun of a doormat. Bush's flag certainly does not seem to say "don't tread on me", as the drums of the earliest Marines had (1775). Rather it seems to plead, "Please tread on me". What has he been after, the pity vote?