Bush, Democrats in election gear after vote on Iraq
Posted on 10/12/2002 7:03:51 AM PDT by MeekOneGOP
Bush, Democrats in election gear after vote on Iraq
10/12/2002
WASHINGTON - Moving on after congressional authorization of military force against Iraq, President Bush and Democratic leaders pursued separate paths Friday, heading toward the Nov. 5 elections.
Mr. Bush and his diplomatic team, a strong, bipartisan vote in hand, turned to the United Nations, struggling for international support to force Saddam Hussein to disarm or face war.
The president also is stepping up his personal diplomacy. He'll confer at the White House on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and later this month at his Texas ranch with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and in Mexico with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Putin is joining other world leaders for the annual Asian-Pacific economic conference.
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Democratic congressional leaders, meanwhile, convened an economic forum Friday on Capitol Hill to highlight what they see as the shortcomings of the economy under Mr. Bush's stewardship.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., cited statistics that will undoubtedly make their way into Democratic ads leading up to the elections: More than 2 million people have lost their jobs since Mr. Bush took office last year, while the stock market has lost $5.7 trillion in value in the worst bear market since the Great Depression.
"A year ago, Americans were afraid to open their mail because of anthrax," Mr. Daschle said. "Now they're scared to open their mail because they don't want to see what the stock market has done to their college funds and their retirement savings."
The White House denounced the forum as a publicity stunt, arguing that long-term economic trends are good and that the Democrat-controlled Senate has foiled administration efforts to get things moving in the short term.
"Where is job-creating terrorism insurance?" asked White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. "Where is homeland security legislation? Where is pension protection? Where is the budget? Where are the appropriations bills? Where's the fiscal restraint?"
As candidates scramble across the country before Election Day, Democrats plan to use the slumping economy to attack a variety of Republican proposals, particularly one to allow workers to invest some of their Social Security funds in the stock market.
Mr. Bush, meanwhile, will be hitting the campaign trail hard, raising money and asking voters to keep the House in Republican hands and return the Senate to the GOP.
Mr. Daschle, however, urged Mr. Bush to cancel his political travel and focus on the economy.
"Show the American people that you have an economic plan," Mr. Daschle said.
The White House scoffed at the idea, saying Republicans have as much right to campaign as Democrats.
In seeking to turn the election on the economy, Democrats must counter polls showing that many voters do not blame Mr. Bush for the current slump, instead attributing it to the business cycle or the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
But Democrats predicted that the polls would soon change.
"Within 14 to 15 days before the election, people will then focus on the economy, and that's when they're going to blame George Bush - rightfully so," said Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe.
Republicans, nonetheless, served notice that they plan to fault the Democrat-controlled Senate for failing to cooperate with a popular president.
"Americans who are worried about economic security don't need reminders from Democrats, they need action," said Republican National Chairman Marc Racicot.
Karlyn Bowman, who analyzes polls for the American Enterprise Institute, a pro-business think tank, said the question of whether voters are more interested in the economy or national security creates a "false choice."
Voters are interested in both, she said, and not inclined to automatically favor either party on either issue.
The political saliency of the economy is as uncertain as the economy itself, Ms. Bowman added. "It's not clear to me either party has a real advantage on this," she said.
Analysts also noted that Democrats may have internal problems because some party members think their leaders did not fight Mr. Bush hard enough on Iraq.
They also said Democrats face another obstacle.
"They don't control the agenda - the president does," said CNN analyst Bill Schneider. "He can monopolize the agenda."
And part of that agenda surely involves the continuing standoff with Iraq.
Mr. Bush is expected to sign the Iraq congressional resolution next week, as he steps up efforts to forge a new, tough resolution against Iraq in the United Nations.
The United States and Britain have been pressing the 15-member U.N. Security Council for authority that would trigger military action if Mr. Hussein does not promptly open his country to unfettered U.N. weapons inspections.
The diplomacy, though, has been bogged down from the beginning, largely because of intense opposition from Russia and France - two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council with unilateral veto power. So, administration officials are looking for a boost from the resolution approved Thursday by Congress - 296-133 in the House and 77-23 in the Senate.
"We always add power to our diplomacy when the United States speaks with a united voice," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
"We want to make clear that Iraq is in violation of the existing resolutions," he said. "We want to set out the tough requirements for verifiable Iraqi disarmament and make clear the consequences for continued noncompliance."
Additionally, as the president increases his diplomacy along with his political travel, Mr. Fleischer said that planning was continuing for a stable Iraq - after Saddam Hussein.
If it comes to war, Mr. Fleischer said, the military objective would be to "disarm Saddam Hussein so that the United States and its allies cannot be harmed."
Afterward, he said, the United States intended to move in quickly with military civil affairs teams and other resources to "transfer governmental power to the Iraqi people, both from inside and outside Iraq."
"We want to make certain that there is stability in Iraq, that people can be fed, that electricity can be on, that heat can be provided," Mr. Fleischer said, dismissing suggestions that war would end in a U.S.-led "occupation" of Iraq.
"The United States will not cut and run," he added. "The United States and our allies are committed to find a way to preserve the stability and maintain the peace of the region."
E-mail djackson@dallasnews.com
"Where is job-creating terrorism insurance?" asked White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. "Where is homeland security legislation? Where is pension protection? Where is the budget? Where are the appropriations bills? Where's the fiscal restraint?"
Especially to South Dakota.
Where is Ari with this response, "Senator Dashole is right. We have been unable, so far, to stop the stock market slide that began In March of 2000 when a blundering Clinton administration attacked the engine of the market - Microsoft."
"Through the 1990's and into 2000, the Enrons, Wordcoms and Global Crossings were permitted to jerry-rig their financial statements because their politically-connected CEO's generously supported Presidential libraries, Senatorial campaigns and Presidential defense funds."
How dare Ari Fleischer engage in negative campaigning! < /sarcasm>
Hear, hear!! The Congress takes the whole month off to campaign, while Bush has to stay in D.C. and work? He is working, Daschole, you putz! Working to get the obstructionists out of the Senate so he CAN do something about the economy.
This is as bad as them whining about his August working vacation while they were similarly off on decidedly non-working vacations (oh, excuse me, recesses. Sounds more like kindergarten anyway!). I hope Bush does take him up on it and use the well worn phrase "co-equal branches of government."
Show the American people that YOU have an economic plan Mr. Daschle!!
OMG, I sincerely hope the sheeple's memories aren't so short that they have forgotten the blatant, outrageous fundraising travel activity of the Clintoon! Wasn't he, in fact, on some fundraising tour when the bodies of the military men from the bomb blast on the ship in Yemen returned to the states??
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
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