DEMOCRATS UNDONE BY "TOP GUN" BUSH

Tribune Media Services ^ | May 7, 2003 | Matthewt Miller

[Howlin]

Every so often you come across evidence that a political party is losing its mind. Something like that is happening to Democrats over President Bush's fabulous "top gun" photo-op aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln. It's a case study in how Bush and Karl Rove have left so many Democrats undone.

Rep. Henry Waxman of California has asked the General Accounting Office to provide a full accounting of the landing's costs, since the event had "clear political overtones." Sen. Robert Byrd, who, as longtime appropriations czar, is in no position to throw stones over dubious uses of taxpayer money, lashed out at Bush instead for "flamboyant showmanship," saying the White House had no business using the carrier "as an advertising backdrop" for the president's speech. Democratic staffers are working overtime to gin up media interest in the "scandal."

Let's be clear. Yes, Bush manipulated the timing of the Iraqi showdown to suit his purposes in last year's midterm elections. And yes, he's now hoping to put America's military success to his political advantage. But for all that, Bush's decision to take out Saddam was the right thing to do. And as for the news that Bush is now trying to use the result to help himself - well, do we really have to trot out the old Casablanca line about being shocked to find there's gambling going on here?

For foes of Bush's domestic agenda, like myself, the worst part of these Democratic attacks is how ineffective and tone deaf they are. The party's most idiotic argument (it's hard to find a gentler word that's also accurate) is that in staging this event, Bush showed disrespect for the troops, because he delayed their return to their families by an extra day after a 10-month deployment.

Isn't it obvious even to Democrats that, if you took a vote of the sailors on board, they'd have unanimously hailed the idea of a visit from their commander in chief to deliver the thanks of a grateful nation? It's a moment they'll cherish for the rest of their lives and tell their grandchildren about. Democrats, inspired perhaps by the trial lawyers who bankroll the party, are acting as if these troops are good prospects for a class-action suit.

The cost was puny anyway. Early Democratic salvos complained that the photo-op cost at least $100,000, as if we should be outraged. Reality check, please. Fifty million dollars for Kenneth Starr's investigation was an outrage; $100,000 to land on deck and welcome troops returning from war is patriotic pageantry.

Earth to Democrats: There is nothing wrong with a little patriotic pageantry. And the costs of presidential movements are always extraordinary. When a president changes where he eats a meal one afternoon, taxpayers probably drop $100,000. You know what? We give the head of the free world a budget for that.

Democrats, of course, know this. Which helps explain why as I write this I've already received fresh e-mails from a Democratic press office raising the cost estimate for Top-Gun-Gate to $1 million. Bet they'll get it to $10 million before week's end.

I know, I know - this is politics. GOP operatives routinely toted up the cost of Bill Clinton's trips to New York City and the man-hours lost to Manhattan gridlock in the service of Hillary's ambition. The right wing never tires of trotting out the size and cost of Clinton's entourage when he traveled abroad. Both sides perennially engage in this irrelevant nitpicking - like so many other depressing aspects of public life, this seems to be a political law of nature.

But this latest episode shows how demoralizing life in the minority must be. Henry Waxman is admired even by Republicans for having done more over his career to extend health coverage to poor and near-poor Americans than perhaps anyone in the country.

Now look: Ten years after Newt Gingrich's earthquake, poor Henry is sniping guerrilla-style over political sideshows. How depressing must that be?

This is no time for Democrats to go bonkers over the small stuff. If this is what they consider smart politics, it'll be a long wait until 2008.

[fabriclady]

Compare President Bush in his jumpsuit to H. Waxman, R. Byrd, E. Kennedy, B. Boxer, just to name a few......would you not complain if you were a demoncrat.
This is so funny. They should stop making fools of themselves. But really, the more they rant the better.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

You are more than correct. You have a mind like a trap! You have excellent long-term memory EMB. You could prove to be dangerous, for the likes of me! :)

[Vinnie]

(Henry Waxman is admired even by Republicans for having done more over his career to extend health coverage to poor and near-poor Americans than perhaps anyone in the country.)

Henry Waxman is 1/240,000,000th of the population of this country and inhales 50% of the air.
He should be included in the Kyoto Treaty somewhere.

[solo gringo]

I read some place when clinton and his gang went aboard the T.Roosevelt flattop the gang stole anything that had t.roosevelt printed on it.Bush left the lincoln without a table napkin only with lots of pride and a pocket full of thanks.

[Carolinamom]

I'm late to the thread, but thanks mucho to all of you for it! I've read the posts and enjoyed the pictures too.

Do you think that Jim Robinson would be open to the suggestion of having our President's picture in his flight suit on our opening page....and fix it so that we can click for an enlargement whenever we feel the need of a pickmeup (like every day! LOL)

[JusPasenThru]

Almost are Democrat male leaders are a bunch of wussys. Not a drop of testosterone in the lot of them. Come to think of it, Hillary probably has more balls than most of them do.

[nopardons]

Oh dear ! It comes on MUCH later here ( though still far to early for me to be awake for ), but still, I know what you mean. LOL

[nopardons]

I'll have to give Scarborough's show a look. I don't watch O'Reilly much, because he is an arrogant, pompous loud mouth, who is NO Conservative and is sometimes more LIBERAL/PC, than his Liberal " guest ".

[Marysecretary]

I watch him almost every night. He is arrogant but he can really give it to some of those who are worse than he is. Scarborough was excellent. I must remember to watch him more often. M