Feinstein to Demos: Time to get tough

SF Gate via Drudge Report ^ | Sunday, November 24, 2002 | Editorial Staff - Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross

[vannrox]

Feinstein to Demos: Time to get tough

Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross Sunday, November 24, 2002

In the wake of the Democrats' Nov. 5 election defeats, Dianne Feinstein has some advice for her fellow party members: Take off the gloves.

"We haven't done near enough of a job tagging the Republicans," the senior senator from California said this past week while back home in San Francisco.

As a result, President Bush "was very much able to obfuscate on the whole issue of the economy with his pre-election push for national security issues," Feinstein said.

Now, she said, the time has come for the Democrats to step back up to the plate.

"We need to be the party that stands for a free, fair and open marketplace. We should be the ones who say if he doesn't appoint strong and full advocates for the commissions that oversee the marketplace, then we should filibuster and kill any appointments until he does."

Feinstein said even the issue of putting the brakes on Bush's tax cuts for the rich -- something a lot of Democrats don't want to touch -- should be put back in play.

"I mean, I've never had a person who makes over $200,000 tell me they need a tax cut," Feinstein said.

That's not the only place where Democrats need to step it up, she added.

"Remember Whitewater? They spent, what, $60 million on an investigation of the president and nothing ever came of it.

"Meanwhile, now there has been virtually no criticism of (Vice President Dick) Cheney with respect to that energy bill that he put together," with the supposed help of the very energy companies that would benefit, Feinstein said.

"We have to follow up on that," she said.

She also thinks the Democrats should continue to stand firm on the idea that the United States should not go it alone in Iraq.

"The reason the president got 77 votes (in the Senate) on his Iraq resolution -- and that includes mine -- is that he agreed to a diplomatic initiative with the United Nations, which was essentially what we Democrats had been saying all along," Feinstein said.

"None of us, I don't think, is all that supportive of doing in Saddam Hussein -- that is, assassinating Saddam -- nor are we supporting a unilateral action by America alone."

Speaking of going it alone, since Feinstein sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, we thought we'd ask her about the rumors that the United States already has special operations forces in Iraq.

Her response: "I can't answer that."

And that talk of assassinating Hussein?

"That was the initial thrust of the administration," Feinstein said. "But I haven't heard it mentioned lately."

On another front, there's been a lot of talk since the election of who should be the voice of the Democratic Party.

And on that point, Feinstein openly admits that "right now we don't have that individual."

She clearly doesn't think it's the party's current chairman, Terry McAuliffe -- in fact, she thinks the job should be split between two people, although she didn't say who.

As for who she might like to see get the Democratic nomination in 2004?

"Well, John Kerry of Massachusetts might be one, but I don't want to be evaluating candidates in your column," Feinstein said.

How about Al Gore?

"Too early to tell. I can't quite figure out yet who he is."

Joe Lieberman?

"I mean, I know who Joe is -- but I don't know. . . . Look, I don't want to say all of this on the record. We'll talk about it some other time. You're just trying to get me to say something so you can make news for your column."

[Sal]

She better not try to get on the ticket in 2004. Hillary has that in her cross-hairs.

And yet I think she's kicking off her own campaign right here.

...who should be the voice of the Democratic Party. And on that point, Feinstein openly admits that "right now we don't have that individual." [Uh Oh! Don't we have Hillary?]

She clearly doesn't think it's the party's current chairman, Terry McAuliffe... [Uh oh! He's the Clintons' own man. Chi-Fi is getting into very dangerous territory here.]

As for who she might like to see get the Democratic nomination in 2004? "Well, John Kerry of Massachusetts might be one... [Could she be considering herself as Kerry's VP?]

How about Al Gore? "Too early to tell. I can't quite figure out yet who he is." She dismisses poor ole Al.

Joe Lieberman? "I mean, I know who Joe is -- but I don't know. . . . [Joe is less easily dismissed, but apparently he's not on Chi-Fi's elect or partner-with list.]

Summary: She won't make a specific recommendation, but she just dissed Hillary, Al, and Joe and at least leans toward Kerry. This should be interesting because the one thing Hillary fears more than any other IMO is another potential first woman president type--at least right now.

I really hope I'm right about this because then Hillary herself will be blowing Chi-Fi out of the water. A community service to be sure, but done for the wrong reason. I don't care about the latter. This is probably the only Hillary action I would cheer on.

OTOH the most likely result is that Hillary would use her files and Chi-Fi will ultimately come out fully supporting Hillary...