Dean Under Fire for Comments on Saddam

AP ^ | 12/17/2003

[Leroy S. Mort]

WASHINGTON (AP) - By declaring America no safer after Saddam Hussein's capture, Howard Dean defied conventional wisdom and opened himself to intense criticism from his Democratic presidential rivals - again.

But baiting his foes and plowing new political terrain didn't irreparably harm Dean when he opposed a popular president's push toward war, subjected his candidacy to the whims of the Internet or abandoned the public finance system. And several Democratic strategists and independent analysts predict there will be no immediate backlash this time, either.

They believe the Democratic front-runner is up to his old tricks: Preaching to the choir of primary voters angry at President Bush as well as party leaders.

``Dean is saying what a whole lot of people think, and that is a guy running from hole to hole is not a major threat to our country,'' said Jeff Link, an adviser to Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. ``There are a lot more dangerous terrorist threats around the world than Saddam Hussein.''

While pro-war presidential candidates seized upon Saddam's capture to reshape their measured messages on Iraq, Dean stuck to his blunt-speaking ways, showing little concern for ruffling feathers or creating a soft-on-Saddam perception that could hurt him in the general election.

``The capture of Saddam is a good thing which I hope very much will keep our soldiers in Iraq and around the world safer,'' Dean said Monday. ``But the capture of Saddam has not made America safer.''

He argued that America won't be more secure until problems bigger than Saddam are fixed, including anti-American insurgency in Iraq, the illegal world market for weapons of mass destruction, tattered U.S. alliances and the nation's porous homeland defense.

In a series of speeches this week, Dean's pro-war rivals raised similar warnings. But they called Saddam's capture a boon for the anti-terrorism campaign, saying that Dean's claim to the contrary belied his lack of foreign policy experience.

Sen. Joe Lieberman said Dean has crawled into a ``spider hole of denial.'' Sen. John Kerry said Dean showed a lack of ``leadership skills or diplomatic temperament'' to be president. And a shadow group with ties to Kerry and Rep. Dick Gephardt aired ads in Iowa suggesting that the former Vermont governor can't stand up to Osama bin Laden.

It is a risky strategy, borne of their zeal to knock Dean from atop the Democratic field before Iowa's kickoff caucuses Jan. 19.

Strategists and analysts say that by criticizing Dean, the pro-war candidates appear to be siding with Bush - not a good idea in the Democratic primary - and may be out of touch with even swing voters, many of whom don't feel safer with Saddam in prison.

Michigan pollster Ed Sarpolus said voters haven't considered Saddam a threat to their personal security since his regime was toppled.

``For regular people here, how does capturing a guy in a spider hole stop terrorists from bombing me or my kids? It's great that we got him, but it doesn't affect me personally. I'm still scared,'' Sarpolus said, adding that Dean communicates hopes and fears in ways that fail his Washington-based rivals.

John Glenn - former hero-astronaut, Democratic senator and failed presidential candidate from Ohio - paused amid celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight to ruminate on Saddam's capture.

``No,'' he told CNN. ``I guess I don't feel that much safer.''

Stanley Renshon, political scientist and psychoanalyst at the City University of New York, said Saddam's capture is helping Bush because it taps into voters' desire to see their leaders standing strong and following through on their threats - ``all very American traits.''

Dean may regret the remarks next year if he wins the nomination and faces Bush, Renshon said. But they're not a problem now.

``He doesn't have much choice in the matter because of the type of people who are fueling his drive,'' Renshon said.

But even Dean's advisers concede Saddam's capture has hurt in one respect: The headline-grabbing news slowed his momentum after former Vice President Al Gore's coveted endorsement. The same stall hit Dean when Wesley Clark jumped into the race, but the front-runner eventually got back on track.

Dean was a step ahead of conventional wisdom on the war (it became less popular among Democrats with time), the Internet (his innovations have been copied by rivals) and public financing (after Dean opted out, so did Kerry).

When he used the Confederate flag to talk about courting Southern white Democrats, party leaders said the gaffe would knock him from his perch. Instead, he changed the subject by nailing down two surprise union endorsements.

With a record like that, Link says from Iowa, ``Why second-guess the guy now?''

[squidly]

There's a good chance Dean can ride the wackytrain all the way to the nomination. He can't ride it to the White House though.

[ChadGore]

[I got the rope]

[07055]

Nowhere in this story is there any mention of the polls for a general election between Bush and Dean. When Clinton was in office, we heard of nothing but polls "proving" how popular Clinton was. Any who dared to criticize Clinton was portrayed as "going against the will of the American people." Now, we never hear of polls unless they show Bush dropping by one percentage point.

[Paul Atreides]

Are you implying that the media is - gasp!- biased?!

[Tempest]

Is it just me or did anyone else get the impression that the author of this article was apologizing for Dean's idiocy at every corner. And in some instances glorifying it, as if absolute ignorance is a wonderfully bold thing?! Although I guess it is when your preaching to a choir of Democrats. =^D

[Happy2BMe]

"When he used the Confederate flag to talk about courting Southern white Democrats, party leaders said the gaffe would knock him from his perch. Instead, he changed the subject by nailing down two surprise union endorsements."

[Billthedrill]

It's a nice dodge, actually, trying to restrict the subject to the capture of Saddam when the real subject in question was what danger he constituted when he was in power. It is that, after all, that Dean has been questioning - the fact that Saddam hadn't been apprehended yet was a popular Democrat taunt, but nowhere near as dangerous as leaving him in power (as Dean's policies would clearly prefer), would have been. But the game here is a little transparent - sneer that it was important that he hadn't been caught when that was advantageous, and sneer that it wasn't important when he had been caught and it ceased to be advantageous. This doesn't rise to the level of hypocrisy, it is simply blatantly two-faced.

The topic is, and ought to be, whether Americans are safer with Saddam out of power than they were with him in power. Given his known linkages with a spectrum of terrorists, his history of bloody invasions of two of his neighbors, and his track record in employing chemical weaponry, I don't honestly think that anyone not in a serious state of denial for ulterior reasons could say that Americans are not safer now. Iraqis certainly are.

[Guillermo]

Thats the measure now..."Since Saddam was captured, do YOU feel any safer?" "Well, no? then, it was a failure!"

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

``Dean is saying what a whole lot of people think, and that is a guy running from hole to hole is not a major threat to our country,''

Therefore, Osama bin Laden is not a major threat to our country.

[genghis]

fortunately for us, this will not be the last stupid thing that man says.
So far, he has not gone 3 days without making some huge gaffe.

[InvisibleChurch]

this is the same man who supports the slaughter of 35,000,000+ Americans

[eddie willers]

[metalboy]

Did you just read Drudge? Sharpton is ahead of Kerry and Edwards in the polls! Say what?? Al Sharpton is ahead of two SENATORS?? Mannn, if that doesn`t say it all about that party. Just the party of wack jobs, one big sicko cult. Maybe they should bring in Marion Barry as well, after all they re-elected that dude Mayor him after he was caught smoking crack. "Yeah, he`s our man!"

[randog]

Nowhere in this story is there any mention of the polls for a general election between Bush and Dean.

Of course not. It would just point out the obvious--that Dean is popular with the extremists in his party and would lose in a landslide if the election were held today. The dem nomination runoff is all about picking the best chihuahua to run in the upcoming greyhound race.

[Happy2BMe]

That's a KEEPER!

[LongsforReagan]

Aside from labor union support, homosexuals, partial birth abortion supporters, does anyone really care about Dean?

Lets see-

In the last two years, the US has won 2 wars and liberated two countries.

There havent been any attacks in the US in that time.

The majority of Iraqis want us to stay and finish the job. In fact the Iraqi PM criticized the UN today for delaying action there and preventing Hussein from being removed years ago.

The economy is booming by any measure, GDP growth , employment is rebounding, manufacturing, durable goods, consumer confidence etc.

Saddam Hussein has been captured.

The Bush tax cuts are fueling growth and will cut deficits once employment rebounds (tax receipts go up under full employment and jobless benefits shrink). These tax cuts are very significant.

Of course theres that realistic Democrat view-

"We are losing the war on terror"

We need to repeal the Bush tax cuts and raise taxes significantly on anyone (including families) making over 87K a year (Howard Dean).

Bush and Cheney knew about 9/11. They are profiting from Haliburtons involvement with the imaginary no bid contracts that have been in place for a few years.

I'll tell you what. Silly Demorats keep going to your Deanie baby meet ups on the internet and keep rolling up your shirt sleeves. We'll just keep those checks coming and smoke your ass 40 states to 10 next November.

[randog]

...smoke your ass 40 states to 10 next November.

My money's on 46-4.

[Izzy Dunne]

a guy running from hole to hole is not a major threat to our country,'' said Jeff Link, an adviser to Sen. Tom Harkin

I suppose we should all chip in and buy this clown a clue:

THE REASON HE'S NOT A THREAT TO THIS COUNTRY IS BECAUSE HE'S RUNNING FROM HOLE TO HOLE!