Panetta Warning Reveals Widening Dean-Clinton Rift

NewsMax.com ^ | 11/30/2003 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[NewLand]

Sunday, Nov. 30, 2003 10:19 p.m. EST
Panetta Warning Reveals Widening Dean-Clinton Rift

Yet another Clinton insider is openly criticizing his party's presidential front-runner, Howard Dean, warning Democrats that the ex-Vermont governor is far too liberal to defeat President Bush in next year's election.

"There clearly are concerns about Dean's ability to appeal to the entire country, particularly on national security issues," former White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta told the Washington Times on Friday.

"How can you compete with President Bush on the national security front? There is some concern about whether Dean can rise to the occasion on this issue," Panetta told the paper.

In his warning about Gov. Dean, Panetta hinted that he was carrying a message authored by his former boss, ex-President Bill Clinton. The former White House chief of staff acknowledged that he speaks regularly with the ex-president, who is said to be concerned about Dean's candidacy.

Panetta's comments follow closely on the heels of an attack on Dean by top Hillary Clinton strategist Harold Ickes, who complained to Time magazine two weeks ago that the Vermont governor was "quick of lip, and quick of temper and stubborn."

Ickes also criticized Dean for repeatedly telling audiences that he wants to win support from Southerners who drive pick-up trucks sporting Confederate flags, grousing, "In another time, the Confederate-flag story would have taken him down the drain."

The deepening opposition within the Clinton camp to the candidate least likely to beat Bush has confounded those who say the former first couple actually want Democrats to lose in 2004 in order to give Mrs. Clinton a better chance to win the White House herself by running for an open seat in 2008.

Some say the Clintons' anti-Dean maneuvering shows one of two things:

Either they actually want to see Democrats win in 2004 [a development that would shut down Mrs. Clinton's presidential ambitions till 2012]. Or Bill and Hillary are stacking the deck for a presidential draft sometime before next July's Democratic convention.

[NewLand]

Clearly, it is the latter of those two choices...NO WAY are they rooting for another Dem to win...it's always all about THEM!

[Paleo Conservative]

This reminds me of the pre-1992 DemocRAT Party.

[I still care]

This makes me think about Hillary's visits to Afghanistan and Iraq. Amazingly to me, she has said we need to commit to them.

I wonder if she is positioning herself as the "anti Dean" candidate. Dean has put all his eggs in the anti war basket.

[NewLand]

This reminds me of the pre-1992 DemocRAT Party.

Let's hope so! 1984 has a nice ring to it, at least as far as the Presidential elections went...

[NewLand]

I wonder if she is positioning herself as the "anti Dean" candidate.

No doubt about it.

[Redbob]

Go, Howard, Go!

hehehehehe...

[Paleo Conservative]

Let's hope so! 1984 has a nice ring to it, at least as far as the Presidential elections went...

But I am greedy. I would like a combination of a 1984 style presidential election with 1994 style congressional elections.

[Paleo Conservative]

I wonder if she is positioning herself as the "anti Dean" candidate.

"No doubt about it."

That way she can pretend to be a "moderate".

[Tamzee]

I wonder if she is positioning herself as the "anti Dean" candidate. Dean has put all his eggs in the anti war basket.

Good point... ouch! Hopefully it will be too late, though. I think a large chunk of the left will find it impossible to reverse their mindless anti-war mantra and unite behind a candidate that supports the Coalition in Iraq.

[NewLand]

I would like a combination of a 1984 style presidential election with 1994 style congressional elections.

2002 wasn't too bad either...

[DeFault User]

That way she can pretend to be a "moderate".

Hey, it worked for Bill, didn't it?

[river rat]

The Clintons may turn out to be the worst thing that ever happened to the Democrat part....

They lost the House and Senate under Clinton..
They lost the White House because of Clinton's record.
And now --- if they draft Hillary! at the convention - Dean and his leftists will run him as an Independent and split the Liberal/Marxist/Communist/Socialist/Hate America crowd and lose BIG TIME this go around..

Dubya's coat tails could spell ruin to the Democrats unfortunate enough to be up for reelection next November..

Dubya may secure a veto proof and filibuster proof congress...

ALL thanks to the Clintons....

Semper Fi

[Mo1]

"How can you compete with President Bush on the national security front? There is some concern about whether Dean can rise to the occasion on this issue," Panetta told the paper.

In his warning about Gov. Dean, Panetta hinted that he was carrying a message authored by his former boss, ex-President Bill Clinton. The former White House chief of staff acknowledged that he speaks regularly with the ex-president, who is said to be concerned about Dean's candidacy.

My .. My .. MY .. seems Dean is messing up their plans if Panetta is willing to give a little praise to Bush over national security

The attacks on Dean in the next few weeks should be pretty interesting

[Mo1]

I wonder if she is positioning herself as the "anti Dean" candidate. Dean has put all his eggs in the anti war basket.

But the far left love Dean .. they aren't going to give up on Dean so fast ...

Should be nice fireworks to watch

[Mo1]

And now --- if they draft Hillary! at the convention - Dean and his leftists will run him as an Independent and split the Liberal/Marxist/Communist/Socialist/Hate America crowd and lose BIG TIME this go around..

I hadn't thought of that .. and they just might do it too

[NewLand]

Dean and his leftists will run him as an Independent

Ooooh...I like that!!!

[SevenDaysInMay]

We have allowed our federal government to deteriorate into an encumbent royalty. Republicans are now by and large classical socialists. The Clintons' DNC-Politburo Democrat Party is criminally corrupt socislism, classic fascism. Classic criminals.

Dean is a loose cannon, little, but filled with rage. Just what the doctor ordered. The Clintons risk triangulating their America First Movement away from the 1/4th of American who want a command economy fitting into the world socialist movement holding hands in the UN's fairytale.

Dean appeals to the childish. The Clintons thrive supported by the apparatchik class.

The Clintons are more closely aligned with the Forbidden City's fascism which is making the elites billionaires through their "privately owned" businesses raking in trillions of dollars. What a scam. Why fool around with some S&L land deal in Arkansas.

Our children's children won't recognize the socialist nation which they will receive from their grandparents; liberties thrown away are only retaken with blood and treasure.

The UN and our "federal" government will not allow American liberties to be reestablished.

[McGavin999]

Uh oh, the Dean people had better check out the campaign planes before Dean takes off.

Hillary's trip to the middle east was to get photo ops with the leaders in that area. I think she's going to try for it in 2004 but the party may have a different idea. Dean may just take the party away from the Clintons.

Of course, with all the news coming out this week about the campagin scandals, she may just find herself in jail by election day.

[Starrgaizr]

Bill and Hill are merely preserving her options. They avoid having her be the focus of the nine dwarves during debates, so there is no reminders of her many faults from fellow Dems. If Bush looks beatable, she will enter. If not, she won't. But she can't wait forever to decide. That the Dem public rewards such sheer cynicism and opportunism (not to mention corruption) with adulation is the most disquieting thing in American politics. It is truly un-American. More suited to some banana republic or France.

[I still care]

I know. They absolutely HATE Lieberman, he has mentioned too many times that he is behind the Iraq war and besides, he understands there is a religious component to this war.

The far left never met a Islamic terrorist they didn't like. They really feel that the it is the US that is the guilty party.

Hillary better tread carefully, no matter how the left adores the Clintons if they start coming down on Arab and Moslem terrorism they will get dropped too.