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THe Full Frontal Assault (Dems in Full Attack Mode - Wash Post, NY Times, CBS Coordinate Attacks)
RealClearPolitics.com ^ | 3/22/04 | Tom Bevan

Posted on 03/22/2004 4:53:53 PM PST by NYC Republican

I don't recall seeing a more well-orchestrated, well-timed, full frontal assault on a political figure than what we're seeing the Democrats do to President Bush right now. Forget references to Richard Clarke as "a Reagan appointee," that's nothing but window dressing.

Democrats are well aware that President Bush's most favorable political attribute is his determined pursuit of the War on Terror. Approval for his leadership in the War on Terror remains well above sixty percent and he holds a substantial lead lead over John Kerry on the issue.

For Kerry to have any chance at all of winning in November, Democrats know they have to destroy Bush's standing as a War President and they have to do it fast - before the Bush team can plant the image in the public's mind that John Kerry is soft on national security.

To accomplish this daunting task, Democrats have resorted not just to an argument of process (i.e. Bush has made progress battling terrorism but would be doing a better job if not for mistakes X, Y & Z) but have coalesced around what I would call "The Big Lie:" that Bush is and has always been soft on terror.

Here is the anatomy of the assault. Paul Krugman launched the attack last week (duly noted on this very blog) accusing Bush of being "weak on terror." Matt Yglesias followed up shortly thereafter repeating the Big Lie in The American Prospect online - saying on his blog, ironically enough, that the only problem with Krugman's effort was that "he's just not shrill enough about it."

The attacked moved into high speed over the weekend. Leading up to his testimony before the 9/11 commission, Richard Clarke appeared on 60 Minutes and laid into Bush. There was no discussion of the terrorist attacks during the Clinton administration, no critical analysis of how the previous administration's response (or lack thereof) to those events may played a role in changing Clarke's mind about the urgent nature of the threat posed by al-Qaeda. Nothing but blame for Bush.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town former Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta got his hands on internal FBI and DoJ budgetary memos showing the Bush administration not fully acceeding to the FBI's request for an additional $1.5 billion funding for counter terrorism. Podesta leaked the documents to Dana Milbank at the Washington Post, who wrote the story up today on page A6 in a tone not much different from the partisan hit job that appeared on the Center for American Progress' own web site.

We've got The New York Times, CBS News and The Washington Post flooding the zone with interviews featuring and talking points distributed by former Clinton officials. And liberals complain that Fox News is a pipeline for the RNC? At least Condi Rice got a chance to respond on the WaPo op-ed page.

The question is whether Richard Clarke's dog can hunt. I don't think it's necessarily fair to paint him as just a "disgruntled employee" but it is fair to note that he's out to try and sell books. I will say this: I can understand that someone who's job is to walk around and bang the drums about terrorism all day might get good and upset when people don't give him the attention he thinks he deserves.

The truth of the matter is that Clarke wanted to push the same plan (actually it wasn't even a cohesive plan but a set of ideas) already rejected by his former bosses in the Clinton administration, that I believe included trying to assissinate Osama bin Laden and forcibly remove the Taliban.

Given the way we've seen liberals react to George Bush's aggressive handling of the War on Terror, I think it's fair to say we would have had a national vein-popping epidemic on our hands if Bush had said to Clarke in early 2001, "you're absolutely right Dick, OBL is an imminent threat to our national security and we need to preemptively bomb the piss out of Afghanistan, invade the country and take him out."

That's what is so ridiculous (and audacious) about this entire ploy. For the better part of three years we've been listening to liberals whine that Bush is an overly aggressive cowboy, a unilateralist Nazi trampling on our civil rights at home and the feelings of our European friends abroad in pursuit of a "war" that many on the left have repeatedly said did and does not exist.

Now eight months before the election and we're getting a full 180 degree pivot from the same people accusing Bush of being soft on terror. It's as fake and phony as the wrinkle-free skin on John Kerry's forehead.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2004; complicitmedia; kerry; richardclarke
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EXCELLENT analysis!!!
1 posted on 03/22/2004 4:53:54 PM PST by NYC Republican
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To: NYC Republican; 1Mike; 3catsanadog; ~Vor~; ~Kim4VRWC's~; A CA Guy; A Citizen Reporter; abner; ...
ABSOLUTELY!!!!
2 posted on 03/22/2004 4:55:56 PM PST by Howlin
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To: NYC Republican; Howlin
It's as fake and phony as the wrinkle-free skin on John Kerry's forehead.

............and that is bad.......really bad.

3 posted on 03/22/2004 4:59:26 PM PST by Southflanknorthpawsis
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To: Howlin
BTTT
4 posted on 03/22/2004 4:59:40 PM PST by Aeronaut (John Kerry's mother always told him that if you can't say anything nice, run for president. ....)
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To: NYC Republican
Bush soft on terror? Is there a parallel universe or what! I know these dopes are trying to pick off the soft middle, but this is over the top and would seem to be unbelievable.
5 posted on 03/22/2004 4:59:57 PM PST by Thebaddog (Woof!)
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To: Howlin
No kidding. :-)
6 posted on 03/22/2004 5:00:27 PM PST by nopardons
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To: Thebaddog
That's exactly my thought - "parallel universe"... What else could explain it? Either that, or we're collectively in the midst of a nightmare...
7 posted on 03/22/2004 5:01:28 PM PST by NYC Republican (The GOP is Finally Engaging the Liars! Yes!!! Let the Battle Begin...)
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To: NYC Republican; Howlin
Actually, the Dems' at the NY Times/WAPost/CBS are hurting their own cause.

Kerry is already falling too far, too fast. These coordinated media attacks may help him remain as the Dems' candidate, however. Otherwise, if he continues to fall, the Dems will backstab him and replace him at their Boston convention this Summer.

8 posted on 03/22/2004 5:01:51 PM PST by Southack (Media bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: NYC Republican
I don't recall seeing a more well-orchestrated, well-timed, full frontal assault on a political figure than what we're seeing the Democrats do to President Bush right now.

I guess the author missed the Newt Gingrich episode. - Tom

9 posted on 03/22/2004 5:02:56 PM PST by Capt. Tom (Don't confuse the Bushies with the dumb republicans. - Capt. Tom)
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To: Howlin
Now eight months before the election...

If this is their big gun, why shoot it now?

10 posted on 03/22/2004 5:03:04 PM PST by eddie willers
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To: Howlin
Does anyone take 60 Minutes seriously anymore?
11 posted on 03/22/2004 5:03:05 PM PST by b9
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To: NYC Republican
What can be done about it? The media has always been biased, but I don't recall ever seeing the news media in such a foam against a Republican candidate before as we're seeing this year.
12 posted on 03/22/2004 5:03:16 PM PST by My2Cents ("Well...there you go again.")
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To: NYC Republican
Now eight months before the election and we're getting a full 180 degree pivot from the same people accusing Bush of being soft on terror. It's as fake and phony as the wrinkle-free skin on John Kerry's forehead.

WEll Said!

Good Article!

13 posted on 03/22/2004 5:04:31 PM PST by Fiddlstix (This Space Available for Rent or Lease by the Day, Week, or Month. Reasonable Rates. Inquire within.)
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To: Capt. Tom
How about what they did to Nixon and I don't mean at the end.
14 posted on 03/22/2004 5:04:31 PM PST by nopardons
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To: Howlin
Ex-Clinton people are all over these slime attacks. I guess that's the price the Administration pays for not arresting and prosecuting the whole lot for their various high crimes and misdemeanors.
15 posted on 03/22/2004 5:04:38 PM PST by My2Cents ("Well...there you go again.")
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To: NYC Republican



Mr. Clarke, Mr. Clarke, we can take out Osama? Please!!! .

Clarke: Nope. Forgetaboutit.


PARTIAL LIST OF TERRORIST ACTIVITIES IGNORED BY CLARKE

1993 Attempted Assassination of Pres. Bush Sr., April 14,1993
1993 First World Trade Center bombing, February 26th, 7 Killed, Hundreds injured, Billions
1995 Attack on US Diplomats in Pakistan, Mar 8,1995
1996 Khobar Towers attack
1998 U.S. Embassy Bombing in Peru, Jan 15, 1998
1998 U.S. Kenya Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1998 U.S. Tanzania Embassy blown up, 100's murdered
1999 Plot to blow up Space Needle (thwarted)
2000 USS Cole attacked, many U.S. Navy sailors murdered


16 posted on 03/22/2004 5:04:40 PM PST by Diogenesis (If you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us)
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To: Howlin
The 9/11 commission is giving Clarke 2 and a half hours.How fair and balanced this commission is will be revealed eventually and it's not looking good.
17 posted on 03/22/2004 5:05:02 PM PST by MEG33 (John Kerry's been AWOL for two decades on issues of National Security!)
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To: NYC Republican
They're desperate to defeat President Bush instead of terrorists. There IS an "angel in the whirlwind" of this barrage.
18 posted on 03/22/2004 5:06:29 PM PST by Carolinamom
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To: NYC Republican; Howlin
Why does the Media ignore this news :

Report Details Saddam's Support for Terrorists Who Killed Americans

The above link is the FreeRepublic discussion thread.

The actual article is :

"Saddam Hussein’s Philanthropy of Terror"

It is a pdf document with substantial footnotes and put together by Dewey Murdock of the Hudson Institute.

19 posted on 03/22/2004 5:07:08 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: MEG33
Retired General Wayne Downing is on MSNBC; he is saying that Clarked HIRED him........and he is surprised at what Clarke is saying; he said EGO is involved -- and that Clarke might have been upset because he didn't have the access that he had in the Clinton administration.
20 posted on 03/22/2004 5:09:26 PM PST by Howlin
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