Posted on 09/06/2006 7:50:48 AM PDT by SmithL
WASHINGTON -- The sprint to November's elections began in earnest Tuesday with President Bush and congressional Democrats each trying to seize the national security issue by offering sharply contrasting assessments of progress in the war on terror.
The president delivered the second in a series of speeches designed to shore up flagging public support for the war in Iraq and to highlight what he called government success in combating terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
As Bush addressed military officers at a Washington hotel, Capitol Hill Democrats countered by releasing a report detailing bleak trends in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea and calling for a sharp change in tactics.
Bush's comments reflect a determination by the White House and the Republican Party to frame November's congressional elections as a choice over national security, a theme that worked for them in the last two elections. The Democrats' response shows their determination to blunt that strategy by turning the U.S. record in Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror against Republicans, who've controlled the White House and Congress since 2001.
At stake is control of Congress, and by extension, the degree to which it might support or oppose Bush in the final two years of his presidency.
Bush's speech Tuesday repeated familiar themes: He insisted that America is winning the war on terror, that Iraq has become the central front in that war and that the U.S. military will stay there until the job is done.
Quoting extensively from Osama bin Laden, Bush said all U.S. military efforts are aimed at defeating the threat posed by "violent Islamic radicalism," a scourge he compared to Adolf Hitler.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
This is about the Dems wanting Rummy out. Bush will have none of it. McCain was shown on Today Show this morning stating the Rumsfeld is 'ineffectual.'
It's time for W to give McCain such a smack-down he will never be elected to anything else... now or again....
IMHO
But the real damage is going to be when the Dems co-opt the effort to secure our nation's borders. Right now, it looks like Vicente Fox, not GWB, is calling the shots on our national policy regarding illegal immigration.
That simply cannot stand. Period.
The whole open borders stupidity we're seeing coming out of Washington completely invalidates any claim by the Republican party that they corner the market on National Security. Bloody hell, they won't even bother securing our borders; how the hell are they going to keep this nation safe?
I`m convinced that Sen. McCain does not want to be President. And, with back stabbing the President and Rumsfeld, he``s not going to have to worry about it.
It does seem like political suicide, doesn't it? I keep thinking he and Hitlery have something up their collective sleeves. But who would get top billing? I actually think McCain would run for VP if she asked him to.
GOP, seal border = win in November
Instead they go ape every time the President speaks. Their hatred for this man is so profound they cannot admit anything he does is right or effective. So they get caught on the terrorists' side of the argument every time, 2002, 2004 and now 2006. They are truly blinded by hatred.
You nailed it. Now, because the Rats are afraid of their looney base, they will dig the hole deeper band deeper.
Yet nobody listened to Washington when he said not to deal with political parties.
Yes, McCain and the Dems are a pain. But, what is more serious for debate in Nov.polling booths is now the Courts are going to deal with our Islamofascist enemies with the ACLU jerks in charge. We should have shot all these guys after we questioned them!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.