Daschle Wants Congress Told More About Bush's War Plans
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
ASHINGTON, March 3 — With Republicans accusing him of being unpatriotic, Senator Tom Daschle, the majority leader, renewed his questions today about the administration's expansion of the war on terrorism and called on President Bush to keep Congress better informed.
"I think the time has come for us to be asking a lot more questions," said Mr. Daschle, Democrat of South Dakota. "That is the role of Congress. We're a co-equal branch of government, and I don't think we ought to rubber stamp any president as we get into these very difficult decisions."
Mr. Daschle made his remarks in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press." Alongside him in the studio was the Senate minority leader, Trent Lott of Mississippi, who pointedly questioned the "timing and tone" of Mr. Daschle's complaints, and said the president needed lawmakers' support.
"He needs us to work with him and help him," Mr. Lott said, "and any sign that we are losing that unity or crack in that support will be, I think, used against us overseas."
The exchange between the Senate leaders occurred as the Bush administration was laying plans to expand the war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan.
The United States has already committed troops to the Philippines, and President Bush has approved plans to send troops to Yemen to help train its military to fight terrorists. The administration is also considering sending troops to the former Soviet Republic of Georgia.
Today, Mr. Daschle again expressed reservations about these plans. He said the first phase of the war was not yet complete, noting that Osama bin Laden, whose Al Qaeda network is considered responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, was still at large.
"We're not safe until we have broken the back of Al Qaeda, and we haven't done that yet," Mr. Daschle said. "I think the jury is still out about future success."
Last week, Mr. Daschle and a fellow Democrat, Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warned Defense Department officials not to expect additional money for the war without a clear explanation of the administration's goals. At the time, those remarks drew a sharp rebuke from Senator Lott, who said, "How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?"
Mr. Daschle reiterated his complaint today, saying: "We're going to be committing $4.7 trillion for defense over the course of the next 10 years; $600 billion more than what was originally scheduled last year. If we're going to commit those resources, and if we're going to commit those men, those women, those lives, then I think we've got to ask the questions that are required of us."
Mr. Daschle also said Congress had not been properly informed of the Bush administration's decision to dispatch dozens of career government employees to bunkers outside Washington, to operate what has been called a "shadow government" that would run the country in case of a catastrophic attack on Washington.
"I think there may be some need to do that," Mr. Daschle said, "`but certainly there has to be somebody in Congress who knows what's going on." He added, "There was no consultation."
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, came to Mr. Daschle's defense, describing the Republican reaction as a "lot of hyperventilation."
In an interview on CBS's "Face the Nation," Mr. Lieberman also said the White House could do a better job of informing Congress about the war.
"I'm sure if they do, the overwhelming majority of both parties will be supportive," he said.
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Daschle Does Damage Control
The fallout from Sen. Daschle's blast at the President last week for his handling of the war intensified yesterday. It clearly had the Senate's top Democrat, who is mulling a run for president in '04, on the defensive.
Appearing on several Sunday public affairs programs, Daschle struggled to contain the damage, with little, if any success.
In a sign of Daschle's growing political isolation, few of his colleagues appeared willing to offer unqualified defense of his controversial remarks. Daschle's comments on Thursday sent shockwaves across Washington and drew stinging rebuke from Republicans concerned over the message a less than united front might send to our enemies, particularly with Americans risking their lives on the ground.
In sudden shift in strategy, Daschle harshly criticized the President, complaining the war was going too far, lasting too long and costing too much, ignoring the President's repeated pleas for patience.
Daschle defended his comments yesterday, though he seemed unprepared for the backlash his words had unleashed. In an interview on FOXNEWS, the stumbling Senator appeared confused, mistakenly speaking in future tense of one of the most widely reported deploymets in the war to date.
"We're talking now about going to the Philippines and other places", he told FOXNEWS. In fact, American military advisors are already on the ground in the Philippines as it battles Muslim insurgents aligned with al-Qaeda. (Similarly, plans call for sending advisors to Yemen and former Soviet Georgia, suspected hideout of many al-Qaeda elements.)
At a more fundamental level, Daschle's flip-flop underscores how Democrats increasingly view success in the war as a growing threat to their party in general as elections draw closer.
Yet, a key problem lies in the fact that, given Daschle's position as leader of elected Democrats in Washington, his naysaying will likely be seen as reflective of the party as a whole.
While Daschle gripes about the war's "expansion", many suspect his real worry is "expansion" of another sort: Popular support behind the President's response to September 11.
Evidence suggest the President's success overseas is rubbing off on Republicans in Congress. Recent polls show overwhelming majorities of Americans see Republicans as better able to handle the biggest issues facing the country. Most ominous for Democrats, the Republican advantage on issues now transcends national security and defense, traditional GOP strengths, to include kitchen table, bread-and-butter concerns, among them the economy and jobs -- hitherto staples of Democrat politics.
Moreover, surveys of party intentification show Republicans leading Democrats for the first time in decades.
Clearly, the war has Democrats over a barrel.
From his riverboat gamble, it's obvious Daschle's concerned over troop morale -- the morale of his troops, i.e., the political grunts in his party.
While Beltway Democrats for months paid grudging lip-service support for the war, party militants grew increasingly demoralized.
As the President's popularity solified, success over the Taliban came early and exceeded all expectations. Hardline Democrats had quietly hoped for a stalemate in Afghanistan -- at least through the midterm elections, when the 'out' party customarily gains seats in Congress.
But with the failure of Enron to cut into Bush's enormous popularity, and with control of the House and Senate weighing in the balance, Daschle shifted gears.
An essential ingredient in Bush's towering approval ratings is trust in his leadership. Small wonder Daschle set out to undermine that trust, by whatever means necessary -- even at the risk of undercutting the War on Terrorism itself.
Instead, he set himself up for a mighty fall.
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"