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Rush just reported that Thune was 5 points ahead of Johnson. Daschle is desperate, and the press is going to try to help (as was seen in the hostility to Rumsfeld in the press conference just completed). We are going to have a bumpy ride, but I have confidence that the President expected this.

Daschle is ignoring Rummy's advice to Germany..."When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging."

Daschle just keeps digging his hole deeper.

Regarding Daschle, "There he goes again"

Daschle is ignoring Rummy's advice to Germany..."When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging."

hehe, so true ;^) Daschle et al need a refresher on the immutable 'law of holes'.

"Daschle just keeps digging his hole deeper."

Isn't he cognizant of the gargantuan hemerrhoids in there? I guess he's feelin no pain... YET!!!

Rummy got a very hard time today. The media has decided, as an evil cult, to savage the entire administration. What are we going to do about it? As the President always says, "Doing nothing is not an option."

Daschle just keeps digging his hole deeper.

*snort*

Daschle's determined to do battle. Good... good.

And what about the New Jersey race?

See one of the Toricelli threads for the background on Daschle's rage.

The day before Tom Puffball's meltdown, he had been in Jersey trying to whip up a glimmer of enthusiasm for the 'Rat candidate, the Torch. All the Rats could manage was, quote, a "back room" meeting with some union guys. The speakers had to keep invoking the name of Traitor Jeffords until Joe-Six-Pack's eyes glazed over.

Meanwhile, back at the Republican ranch, President Bush also was in New Jersey. But the candidate he was supporting was reeling in huge crowds, thunderous applause, and buckets and buckets of money. Thank you, Dubya.

So little Tommy Puffball went home that night and had visions of Republican Sourplums dancing in his head---not to mention the sinking feeling that his gig was up. Not only that it became personal: that witless cowboy from Texas had Wiley-Coyote'd Tommy again.

No wonder he went bobblehead when he heard from a staffer who heard from a staffer who heard from a staffer who read in the Washington Post that Bush said 'Rats don't care about national security.

And, oh by the way, Rats don't.

*** "...and the press is going to try to help..." ***

If the following is any indication, you are correct, Miss Marple. I posted this on another thread but it is applicable to your comment. Having read the Media Research info today, I hope the WH steps up their response, beyond what I've seen today. It outlines the reaction of the major networks to Daschle. Long..but interesting.

-- FNC's Special Report with Brit Hume. Hume described
Daschle's Senate floor comments as a "colossal outburst" before
Carl Cameron showed them to viewers.
Daschle charged: "The President is quoted in the Washington
Post this morning as saying that Democratic, the
Democratic-controlled Senate, is 'not interested in the security
of the American people.' Not interested in the security of the
American people? [edit jump] That is outrageous, outrageous. The
President ought to apologize to Senator Inouye and every veteran
who fought in every war who is a Democrat in the United States
Senate. He ought to apologize to the American people. That is
wrong. We ought not politicize this war. We ought not to
politicize the rhetoric about war and life and death."

Cameron then explained: "Republicans and the Bush
administration denied politicizing war with Iraq and pointed out
that the Washington Post quoted the President not about war but
about the debate over creating the new Department of Homeland
Security. The President has accused Democrats of putting labor
unions' special interests ahead of national security because
Democrats refuse to give the President the flexibility he seeks to
move personnel around in the new department."

Cameron pointed out how a Democratic Senator had offered some
very tough criticism of Democrats on the same subject on which
Bush had been critical: "The harshest attacks have come not from
Republicans on that score but from a Democrat: Zell Miller of
Georgia. Miller predicts history will judge Democrats harshly if
they continue this."
Miller, date unknown, on the Senate floor: "Why did they put,
they will ask, workers above, workers' rights, above Americans'
lives. Why did that 2002 U.S. Senate, on the one-year anniversary
of 9-11, with malice and forethought, deliberately weaken the
powers of the President in time of war? [edit jump] This is
unworthy of this great body. It is demeaning and ugly and over the
top."

Next, Jim Angle outlined how the Post story had distorted
Bush's remarks: "Relying on the Washington Post, Senator Daschle
skewered the President for saying Monday in New Jersey, that the
Democratically-controlled Senate is not interested in the security
of the American people. The White House pointed to the President's
actual remarks in which he never mentioned Democrats and was
talking about the Homeland security bill, not war with Iraq."
Bush on Monday at a campaign rally in New Jersey for
Republican Senate candidate Doug Forrester: "The House responded,
but the Senate is more interested in special interests in
Washington and not interested in the security of the American
people."
Angle: "In fact, the White House argued, the President went
out of his way seconds later in the same speech to be
nonpartisan."
Bush in same appearance: "People are working hard to get it
right in Washington -- both Republicans and Democrats. See, this
isn't a partisan issue."

Angle added that as for the Post's claim about Cheney, "a
review of the speech shows Cheney only said that Taff would be a
good partner with the administration."

-- CNN's Inside Politics. Jonathan Karl elaborated on the same
point about Cheney: "Democrats were especially critical of Vice
President Cheney for allegedly telling voters in Kansas to vote
for a Republican candidate because he would support the war. But
Cheney appears to have been a victim of a misleading Associated
Press headline. There is no record of Cheney saying it, although
he has repeatedly talked about the war at political events."

-- ABC's World News Tonight. Peter Jennings teased the show by
mis-portraying Bush's comments as related to Iraq: "On World News
Tonight, a question of patriotism. The nasty argument in
Washington about Iraq and American security."

Jennings then opened the broadcast, which he anchored from
overlooking the White House: "Good evening from Washington. There
are several things of national interest here today. A new report
on the cost of health care, the President on who is more dangerous
-- al Qaeda or the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein -- and a nasty
argument between grown men about American security and special
interests -- by which we mean the debate about what's to be done
in Iraq."

Linda Douglass began the lead story: "A lot of anger, Peter.
Few people can ever remember seeing Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle as visibly enraged as he was today. In an extraordinary
speech, Senator Daschle ripped into the President for suggesting
the Democrats don't care about America's security."
Daschle: "You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World
War II they're not interested in the security of the American
people. That is outrageous, outrageous!"
Douglass: "Daschle's tirade was sparked by a statement the
President has made several times in the last few days."
Bush on Tuesday: "The Senate is more interested in special
interests in Washington and not interested in the security of the
American people."
Douglass finally got to the subject of Bush's criticism:
"Today the White House said Mr. Bush was talking about his battle
with Democrats over the new Department of Homeland Security, not
the war with Iraq. But Daschle says there was a hidden message
that Democrats are soft of defense, reluctant to fight."
Daschle: "He ought to apologize to the American people. That
si wrong. We ought not to politicize this war. We ought not
politicize the rhetoric about war and life and death."

Following a clip of Republican Senator Trent Lott chastising
Daschle for treating Bush and not Saddam Hussein as the enemy,
Douglass concentrated on how Democrats think Daschle has been too
close to Bush: "As Republicans needled Daschle, some in his own
party complained that Democratic leaders have been too eager to go
along the President."
Senator Dianne Feinstein: "The fact that the President enjoys
very high popularity makes it difficult for some people to do what
they see as crossing him."
Douglass trumpeted in conclusion: "California's Feinstein has
gotten 10,000 calls against the war, 200 in favor. She argues the
U.S. should not rush into war with Iraq. Feinstein says that many
of her colleagues agree with her but have been afraid to say so
until today. But now that Senator Daschle has expressed such
outrage toward the White House, and many Democrats agree with him,
some have begun questioning the war publicly."

So Feinstein makes decisions about national security and war
based on who calls her office?

-- The CBS Evening News led with the hurricane, but Rather
framed the Daschle matter as one of Democrats just reacting to
Bush's first strike, as he teased up top: "A capital firestorm:
Senate Democrats blast back at President Bush for what they see as
his election year questioning of their commitment to U.S.
security."

Rather soon elaborated: "Iraq and Saddam Hussein, not the U.S.
economy, continue to be that talk of Washington. Some analysts see
this as an advantage for President Bush and Republicans in the
election year battle for control of the Senate, whether he
intended that to be the case or not. Against this background, some
of Mr. Bush's campaign rhetoric has resulted in a fierce
Democratic Party rebuttal."

Bob Schieffer began his story: "What set Democrats off was a
story in the Washington Post noting the President has been telling
audiences that Senators don't care about national security."
Bush, date not noted: "But the Senate is more interested in
special interests in Washington and not interested in the security
of the American people."
Daschle on the Senate floor Wednesday: "'Not interested in the
security of the American people'?"
Schieffer: "Long time observers couldn't remember when the
Senate's top Democrat had been so upset."
Daschle: "You tell those who fought in Vietnam and in World
War II they're not interested in the security of the American
people. That is outrageous, outrageous. [edit jump] He ought to
apologize to the American people. That is wrong. We ought not
politicize this war. We ought not politicize the rhetoric about
war and life and death."
Schieffer, over a WWII photo of Daniel Inouye: "Democrats
literally lined up behind Daschle, including Inouye of Hawaii, who
lost an arm fighting the Nazis and who spoke more in sorrow than
anger:"
Inouye on the Senate floor: "There are those who plan war and
there are those who engage in war."
Schieffer: "Byrd of West Virginia all but went into orbit."
Senator Robert Byrd: "It's insulting, it is wrong, wrong,
wrong."
Schieffer treated the subject matter as if it were in dispute:
"Republicans claim the President was just chiding the Senate for
not passing the homeland security bill. The President himself
denied he was politicizing the issue."
Bush at the White House on Wednesday: "My job is to protect
the American people. It is my most important job, the most
important assignment I have and I will continue to do hat
regardless of the season."
Schieffer concluded by scolding Bush: "Publicly, Republicans
backed the President, but privately even some of the President's
friends believe he has made a tactical mistake because a large
number of Democrats here were on the verge of giving the President
just the authority he's been asking for to deal with Iraq. Now
some of those Democrats believe the President has hit them below
the belt and that's going to complicate things."

-- NBC Nightly News. Tom Brokaw opened the show with a far
more balanced presentation than provided by Jennings or Rather:
"Good evening. It got ugly in Washington today, the strongest
language yet in the emotional debate over which party is best
equipped to deal with terrorism. Senate Majority Leader Tom
Daschle demanded the President apologize for saying the Democrats
are not interested in the security of the American people. The
President's comments were about the homeland security bill, not
about Iraq, but they enraged Democrats nonetheless. And the heated
exchanges today may have been as much about the mid-term elections
as they were about the best way to deal with terrorism."

Lisa Myers suggested Democrats are frustrated by how their
issues have been lost in all the focus on Iraq and so "the usually
soft-spoken Tom Daschle erupted" at what the Post reported Bush
had said.

Myers played clips of Daschle and Byrd on the Senate floor,
before actually letting viewers in on what concerns Bush: "All of
this grows out of the President's demand that workers in the new
Department of Homeland Security not be given civil service
protection as Senate Democrats want. Here's what the President
said."
Bush in New Jersey on Monday: "But the Senate is more
interested in special interests in Washington and not interested
in the security of the American people."

Myers concluded by noting how Republicans suggest that Daschle
was motivated by Democratic party politics as he's taking heat
from "party liberals" for being too supportive of Bush or Iraq.

Brokaw talked about the dispute with Tim Russert who raised
the possibility that Daschle was just trying to catch up with
another 2004 presidential candidate, Al Gore. Citing some reasons
for Daschle's outburst, Russert explained: "Ambition. Al Gore
introduced a whole new equation into this debate, appealing to the
peace wing of the party, Democratic activists. Tom Daschle, with
one eye on Gore, also hearing from Democrats around the country
realized he also had to step forward."

Daschle losing the Senate because of Johnson is the best thing since AlGore lost Tennessee.

Re: ...Thune was 5 points ahead of Johnson.