Smith's bitterness unbecoming of a statesman

NH Sunday News ^ | 5/25/03 | Jack Kenny

[RJCogburn]

WELL, WELL, WELL. Guess who has become the New Hampshire Democrats' favorite New Hampshire Republican. "Buffalo" Bob, that's who.

"Buffalo" Bob Smith, that is, the former two-term U.S. senator and three-term member of the U.S. House. Since all but a few months of those 18 years of service in the U.S. Congress were as a Republican, you might have expected a big turnout of "name" Republicans at the testimonial for Bob held at the Center of New Hampshire in Manchester a week ago.

But the noticeably absent included Bob's former congressional colleagues, like U.S. Senators Judd Gregg and John E. Sununu, the latter of whom ended Smith's career (for the time being at least) by challenging and defeating the maverick from Tuftonboro in last September's primary.

There was no appearance by U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass either, despite Smith's past support of Bass in contested primaries. To be sure, Gov. Craig Benson and U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley took part in the festivities honoring Bob, with the governor officially naming the day in honor of both Bob and his wife, Mary Jo.

But prominent New Hampshire Democrats also were on hand to pay tribute to the former senator, including former U.S. Rep. Dick Swett, whom Smith narrowly defeated in 1996. And there was former Governor "Squeaky Clean" Jeanne Shaheen, who had hoped to run against Smith in last year's U.S. Senate race. (She lost instead to Sununu.)

Even New Hampshire Democratic Chairman Kathy "Stretch" Sullivan (who was not at the event) had nice things to say about big Bob last week and suggested the "Republican establishment" had betrayed him.

The Democrats are, of course, eager to fan the flames of resentment in the hearts of Smith die-hards, who are convinced Bob was "stabbed in the back" by the aforementioned party "establishment."

Smith also appeared to be encouraging that resentment, speaking of "people who you thought were your friends who aren't your friends who stabbed you in the back." Having been unelected as senator, Smith now appears to be running for martyr.

Yet Smith claimed throughout his reelection bid last year that he had the support of President Bush, who commands a fairly significant portion of the Republican establishment. Regardless of who supported Sununu and encouraged him to enter the race, the simple fact is he defeated Smith in a fair and open primary.

Republican primary voters chose Sununu over Smith and nothing suggests high-ranking political operatives were holding guns to the voters' heads. After a career of losing some and coming back to win, Smith lost again. He seems to be having a hard time accepting that.

The bellyaching, "back-stabbing" accusations are unbecoming of a retired (however unwillingly) statesman. New Hampshire conservatives lost two icons in last September's primaries: Gordon Humphrey, who lost to fellow Republican Craig Benson in the gubernatorial contest, and Smith who lost to Sununu. It was sad to see either career end that way, but Humphrey bowed out gracefully after a most rough and bitter primary battle; Smith is still blaming the "back-stabbers."

I am not inclined to be a Smith basher, though at some point last summer Bob decided I had become one. I can understand, to some extent, his frustration with The Union Leader, which had supported him throughout his career, but hammered him frequently in its editorials last year, when the paper supported Sununu.

But anytime I criticized Smith for his stand or vote on a particular issue, I knocked Sununu in the same column. (Their voting records and positions on most issues were remarkably similar.)

So I was surprised when, at a wake of all places, Smith turned on me and accused me of distorting his record and joining the anti-Smith crusade of "that paper," The Union Leader. It was a bit hard to swallow, especially when the senator refused to give a single example of the alleged distortions.

Still, I couldn't forget all he had done for causes I believe in, especially the right to life. I voted for Bob in the primary, then attended Sununu's victory party.

I can't say I was broken up at the outcome. Just before the November election, I wrote a column urging Smith die-hards, then promoting a write-in campaign, to give up the ghost and support Sununu against Shaheen.

At Sununu's victory party, the senator-elect's father, former Gov. John H. Sununu, approached me and thanked me. As my column was hardly a significant factor in the outcome, I considered it a gracious gesture by a man not always known for graciousness. I also recalled that the elder Sununu, who was dumped as chief of staff in the Bush I administration, supported Bush II in 2000 after his first choice, former Vice President Dan Quayle, dropped out. He made no mention of "back-stabbers."

[FreePaul]

Who ever thought of Smith as a "Statesman?" I never thought of him as anything but another politician and apparently not a very good one.

[ThreePuttinDude]

This all sounds like a lot of RINO snivelling to me....

[billorites]

It's been sad to watch a politician I formerly admired shrink so much, in my estimation, over the past 5-6 years.

New Hampshire's a small state and we only send four people to Congress. When one turns out to be wacky it reflects poorly on all of us.

I'd be less embarrassed and more supportive of him had he come out as "transgendered" or something.

[2timothy3.16]

Maybe he is upset, maybe he can be rude, maybe he is any number of things, but we in Maine would love to have him move here and run against the queen of infanticide, olympia snowe in 2006.