Posted on 02/28/2002 11:59:01 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
The Democrats have taken off the gloves. Ever since Sept. 11 they've fumed over President Bush's popularity and kept up the pretense of a loyal opposition by claiming to support the war on terrorism while attacking him on everything else. Now they're even questioning the war effort.
Senate plurality leader Tom Daschle on Thursday, echoing Sen. Robert Byrd's grumblings Wednesday, said there was "expansion without at least a clear direction" in the war.
"Before we make commitments in resources I think we need to have a clear understanding of what the direction would be," the South Dakota Democrat told reporters.
He claimed he didn't want to "second guess" the president, but then he did just that. "I don't think the success has been overstated, but the continued success, I think, is still somewhat in doubt," Daschle said.
"I have said all along, we need to ask the tough questions. There may be support in general for the president's request for defense, but somebody's got to ask tough questions. And no one does a better job of that than Senator Byrd.
"I think there is expansion without at least a clear direction to date," Daschle said. "But we will continue to ask the questions required to better understand that direction."
"Whether we continue to succeed depends on whether we get the right answers to the questions Senator Byrd was proposing yesterday.
"We've got to find Osama bin Laden, and we've got to find other key leaders of the al-Qaeda network, or we will have failed.
"I think that it's critical that we keep the pressure on. We do the job that this country is committed to doing. We're not safe until we have broken the back of al-Qaeda. And we haven't done that yet," said the South Dakota leftist.
As usual, Daschle merely attacked without providing an alternative or making any constructive proposals. He failed to say how he would find bin Laden or "break the back" of al-Qaeda.
Republicans Fight Back for Once
The response of GOP lawmakers was - as of this writing - far stronger than the typically wimpy hedging Thursday by White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who quickly withdrew a criticism of Bill Clinton's Mideast bunglings.
"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism, especially when we have troops in the field?" said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss.
"He should not be trying to divide our country while we are united."
Even Fleischer himself noted Daschle's transparent White House ambitions by saying, "Some people may want to run for president some day."
Daschle and Byrd are not alone as the Democrats, eyeing the approach of midterm elections, scramble to assail the president.
"They’re bootstrapping this operation into adopting the dramatically higher defense spending they’d been proposing before this ever happened," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. "That’s a budget tactic they’re using."
But some think the negative campaigning during wartime will backfire on the Democrats.
"This is a desperate move on their part, a gamble," military analyst Col. Fred Peterson told Fox News.
"It’s a move that indicates more their frustration for their lack of success than any differences in policy. What they’re trying to do is parley the safety and unity of this country with politics."
It means they are getting desperate, the majority of the public backs the war efforts.
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