Democratic Hopefuls Find Antiwar Minefield in Iowa

The New York Times ^ | 03/09/2003 (for editions of 03/10/2003 | Adam Nagourney

[friendly]

This ludicrous group of low-lifes and lawyers, in their $3000 suits, is not qualified to run an honest 6th grade student government.

[prairiebreeze]

There are so many quotes here that deserve a wisecrack I can't possibly know where to begin!

The Dims in a dither. Nobody will tell them when the war is coming or when to do what. Should they campaign or not? Put up or shut up? It's easy to understand their liberal dilemma.

BWAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAA!!!


Prairie

[Paleo Conservative]

And members of Congress, including six of the Democratic presidential contenders, are going to be under pressure to stay close to Washington so they are not perceived as neglecting the nation's business.

So they can stage filibusters of President Bush's judicial nominees.

[Prince Caspian]

"Who gave him the key?" said Brad Kollars, 53, a lawyer from Sioux City, staring intently at Mr. Gephardt.

The Electoral College members, representing the voted preference of each of the 50 US states. That's who.

A lawyer... that explains part of it.

[Reagan is King]

"I think they should support Bush," said Mary Agnew, who lives near Amana. "It gives all the Arab countries the wrong idea that we are vulnerable."

Good thinking Mary, but I'm not sure they care if the Arabs think we're vulnerable. In fact, they may be hoping for another terrorist incident in the U.S. so they can make political hay out of it. How's that strike you Mary?

Sheesh, the anti-war crowd is living in some dream world.

[Uncle Miltie]

"In recent days Mr. Kerry, in defending his vote in favor of the Iraq resolution, has been criticizing Mr. Bush for what Mr. Kerry suggested was a rush to war."

Dems are playing both sides of the fence. If it goes well, they will point to their support of the legislation, the President and / or the troops. If it goes badly, they will have some good sound-bites where they were critical and questioning.

Sadly, the hypocrisy will work. Americans do not have long memories, the press will assist the Dems, and the war will be long over.

Bush will win the war, which is what is critical to the nation. But it is the peace and especially the economy that follows that matters for the politics.

On that score, repeated protectionism and federal bloat do not help. Just last week, tarriffs on Canadian wheat made the Democratic Senators in NDak very happy.

HELLO: Tarriffs are taxes, and harm consumers.

I'll be happy to achieve national security by way of defeating Iraq. But the political battles thereafter will ignore the Iraq success, and we'd better start getting ready for those too.

[Cicero]

Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The Democrats have been catering to these middle-aged hippies and self-annointed revolutionaries for decades. Now it's coming back to bite them. No way they can continue to solidify a base that has moved somewhere to the left of Mao while pretending to be "moderate" to the rest of the country.

[tet68]

Mr. Gephardt said. "The problem we've got is he is the president of the United States."

Yes, it just sticks in their craw like a bad worm.

"As a leader of Congress," Mr. Gephardt said, "I felt an obligation to try to help him keep the people safe."

One would have thought Mr.G would have referred to himself as an "American" but he is afterall a democrat.

[DeFault User]

What a dilemma. Please the base, win the primary and lose the election or show some character.

Well, come to think of it, the second option has not been a choice for DemocRats for years.

[Tamzee]

I love it... they created this mess for themselves. If they would just be straight and consistent, they wouldn't have to struggle with how they are going to "play" a current issue. They also stirred up this anti-Bush wave, and it's turning into a rocky ride.

If they had stood with Bush right from the start on Iraq, it might all be over with by now ;-)

[expatpat]

Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.

Cicero, do you know the source of this old phrase? The Old Testament? Its a curious phrase, almost as if somebody had once done some seeding with iodine and produced a hurricane. Nah.

[harpo11]

Sadly the democrass party doesn't want to understand that they need President Bush to defend and protect their donkey butts just as much as we need him to defend and protect Americans and our Constitution.

[Jabba the Nutt]

"Who gave him the key?" said Brad Kollars, 53, a lawyer from Sioux City, staring intently at Mr. Gephardt.

Oh, I thought he was complaining that the smelly guy got access to the executive washroom.

It's hilarious that the Democrat's playing politics with the war is now biting them in the butt. They can't forthrightly argue the case for removing Saddam, so they have to put up with being badgered by Iowas liberals. This of course is known as the Iowa Plan (all inclusive) for Hell.

[AndrewC]

They are all DemocRats. What do you expect?

[spectre]

"I'd like to hear something stronger from Congress," said Barbara Boatwright, a longtime Polk County Democratic activist who sternly pressed Mr. Kerry on his vote. "I wish we'd have an outcry and protest from Democratic members of Congress."

Sure, Barbara - let the Democrats in Congress rise up as one and protest Bush's military and foreign policy on the eve of a major war.

Go for it, Barbara - and guarantee a Republican tial wave come the 2004 elections.

Yea, that's the ticket, Barbara.

[XEHRpa]

The Dims in a dither. Nobody will tell them when the war is coming or when to do what.

The surest sign that France, Russia et al will fall into line is the hard tack left of the RATs, now saying that even a UN mandate isn't good enough, because we just "bought off" our Allies.

If this keeps up, 2004 could be another McGovern year for the RATs. I think we should somehow work that into a slogan... something about how the RATs just want "McGovern-ment", or something to that effect. It captures the essence of the '72 fiasco, plus the cheesey image of McDonalds, etc.

[Balding_Eagle]

Hosea 8:7. For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

[expatpat]

Thanks, Eagle. I guess it's sourcing is symbolic, not factual, but it made me stop and think.

[Porterville]

I don't understand how even democrat Reps and Sens can be democrats; especially with and ignorant body of people that they pimped into dependence, I would hate to deal with lemmings who run from fad to fad.