Posted on 10/01/2004 11:26:50 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
WASHINGTON — President Bush came under criticism from a senior Senate Democrat on Thursday after a newspaper report that the U.S. government and a representative of Bush's reelection campaign helped draft Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's speech to Congress last week.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said in a letter to Bush that the report in Thursday's Washington Post raised doubts about Allawi's optimistic assertions on Iraqi reconstruction efforts and the prospect for elections.
"To learn that this was not an independent view, but one that was massaged by your campaign operatives, jaundices the speech and reduces the credibility of his remarks," Feinstein said. "I hope that you'll let me know whether these claims are accurate."
The White House had no immediate comment on Feinstein's letter or the Post article, which was published as Bush and Democratic rival John F. Kerry prepared to argue about Iraq in the first of three presidential debates.
The Bush-Cheney campaign denied involvement in the Allawi speech. The White House showcased Allawi's visit to the United States as evidence of progress in Iraq that bolstered Bush's optimistic outlook for the country in the face of escalating insurgent violence.
Allawi assured a joint session of Congress on Sept. 23 that Iraq would successfully hold elections in January, and he appeared alongside Bush in the White House Rose Garden, where he blamed the news media for negative perceptions about his country.
But many of his remarks on Iraq employed the same themes, and sometimes the same terms, as statements by Bush and other administration officials.
On Thursday, the Post quoted unnamed administration officials as saying Allawi had been coached and aided by the U.S. government, its allies and friends of the administration.
It cited former Coalition Provisional Authority spokesman Dan Senor as having sent Allawi recommended phrases and helping him rehearse.
The newspaper said Senor represented the Bush campaign in media appearances. Bush-Cheney spokesman Scott Stanzel said Senor did not work for the campaign, though he acknowledged that campaign staff direct media outlets to Senor for interviews.
Petty and foolish. Undoubtedly since Englishis not his first language and the appearance was a joint one, there was some coordination, Is the imlication again that because he is an ally, he's a stooge?
Of course, being the intellectual pygmy she is Feinstein wouldn't think of that or, for that matter, the importance Allawi attached to being correct in every aspect of his speech.
Where was her outrage when Teddy Kennedy's staff was caught conspiring with former colleagues in the fixing of the timing of a (Bush) Judicial appointment to the Michigan Court of Appeals?
This latest screed of phony correctness fools nobody, Senator Dianne Pantload. Take your broom and your pointy hat and go back to your cauldron.
;-/
Just once... JUST ONCE, I'd like to hear Bush say:
"Listen closely, you scum-sucking California (or NY) communists, because I'm only going to say this once: Go take a flying freak at a rolling donut - or suck-start an 18 wheeler; whichever you prefer."
I am so sick of those anti-American socialists!! I don't know how President Bush stands them.
Tsk, Tsk. I can see you just don't understand. You have some silly idea that the same standard of conduct applies to both sides. Don't you know that the elite are given certian considerations the rest of us gutter rats aren't?
keep in mind that these are the same maggots that were
willing to defend that perjuring low-life bubba to the
bitter end.
She wrote a letter because of a doubt???
Hey Diane .. betcha you think those CBS documents are real too huh?
Democratic Sen. Dianne Frankenstein of California is just the person to lay out the false premise that there was something wrong with whatever help Allawi received for his speech, if he received any such help, given that she's in the particular lobby (feminist) that concentrates on false premises/allegations.
If America listens to her latest spew and takes it seriously, we should repeal the 19th and let the patriarchal leadership to continue to conspire for US defense.
[...only partially tongue-in-cheek, Ma'am.]
LOL! ...need to check the earthquake/volcano/tidal wave news again here.
Democratic party...electoral death wish and / or global propoganda machine?
Hypocrisy has become the standard for the left. It has to do with their "natural superiority." It's consistent with their idea that the rest of the world is just too stupid to survive without their guidance. It doesn't take too much intelligence to look at the past socialist societies and see how successful they were. The left provides the perfect breeding ground for egg suckers that have no self confidence and live in constant fear of some imagined terror or other.Most of us grow out of that mentality by age 8 or 10.
I thought Bush was supposed to coordinate everything with our allies?
Hell...how many times has he been called upon to address the US Congress?
Seems to me a bit of polishing is a damn good thing to help him with.
The Allawi incident is a pittance. How many handlers, policy makers, press agents, speech writers do each of our major parties have to bamboozle the public with their pronouncements? For that matter how many does Fineswine have on her payroll?
Exactly.
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