DASCHLE'S BREAKDOWN

NY Post ^ | 9-27-02 | John Podhoretz

[Oldeconomybuyer]

September 27, 2002 -- SENATE Majority Leader Tom Daschle just made American politics a lot more interesting with his fascinating floor speech Wednesday, during which he demanded an apology from President Bush for saying Democrats didn't care about national security.

"We ought not politicize this war," said Daschle.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

"We ought not politicize this war," said Daschle.

"Republicans want to poison the water and kill old people," said Algore.

[Texas Jack]

But I don't think there was anything prudent or calculated about Daschle's words on Wednesday.

His speech was profoundly imprudent, given that his indictment of Bush came directly from a single front-page story in Wednesday's Washington Post - an article that contained two glaring misrepresentations.

I disagree with the author's statement about Daschle's tirade not being calculated. Everything that the Democrats do is calculated and coordinated to the last detail. To support my assertion, Fox News said that Daschel's people had called all of the news agencies prior to his tantrum notifying them that he was going to make an important speech. In addition, I noticed consistency in the assertions made by numerous Democrats that Daschle was not "off base" in his remarks by stating that the President had been making innuendoes to the effect that Democrats weren't concerned with national security, ect and so on.

I believe this outburst was the dying gasps of a Democrat leader who has been completely man-handled politically by the President.

Moreover, it will come back to haunt the Democrats. Imagine a significant government leader who establishes his position in a given situation based upon a newspaper article without checking sources. What would person do in a real crisis? And the Democrats wonder why they continue to drop in the polls for the November elections.

[MrConfettiMan]

The president garbled his words a bit, as we all know he is wont to do.

A bump, a ping and a statement worth highlighting.

[mwl1]

Everyone continue to raise Hell, because this was just round I of the "Bush is politicizing the war" rhetoric. They are increasingly desperate, and looking for anything that will stick.

[Diogenesis]

"THIS JUST IN. Tom Dasche has submitted a bill to force Americans
to read Right to Left, reversing all past American order.
Daschle says this will calm Islamic terrorists and make more of them
want to join his party.
Here he shows the change, with his demand that Americans now use their
LEFT hand for their pledge, as it is done in South Dakota.

[norton]

I'm really luke warm about Iraq.
Unless Saddam can threaten me I'd rather see the military along the mexican and canadian borders.
However,
the more the left begins to look like the left of the sixties
("San Francisco Democrats" in one current article);
the more I'll climb on the bandwagon.

I remember those vermin all too well.

[randita]

Imagine a significant government leader who establishes his position in a given situation based upon a newspaper article without checking sources.

Great point. And no doubt Daschle and cohorts are pretty defensive about the New Republic and other elite left of center news and commentary outlets who have started berating the Democrats for not taking a strong stand BEFORE the election.

[prov1813man]

Moreover, it will come back to haunt the Democrats. Imagine a significant government leader who establishes his position in a given situation based upon a newspaper article without checking sources

Worse, what are we to think of a party that takes it's strategy inputs from Meathead (Rob Reiner) and BS (no specifics necessary).

Imagine the inflated ego that encourages the minority leader of the US Congress to "call me with any questions"!!!! Like BS, the entire democratic party is becoming a cheap lounge act. Given the timing of things, it is at least possible that BS's letter started it all. What a bunch of maroons.

[PMCarey]

Here's my admittedly simplistic contribution to the why-did-Daschle-do-it debate: Tom Daschle got up Wednesday morning, read the Washington Post . . . and totally lost it.

This may be the first time that Daschle has something in common with us freepers.

[PJ-Comix]

His speech was profoundly imprudent, given that his indictment of Bush came directly from a single front-page story in Wednesday's Washington Post - an article that contained two glaring misrepresentations.

The glib and sloppy Dana Milbank, who wrote it, managed in a single piece to mischaracterize words spoken both by Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. What set Daschle off was Milbank's distorted editing of a standard-issue political remark about how the Democrats who oppose his homeland-security bill care more about "special interests" than they do about "the security of the American people."

Glib and sloppy is right! This point can't be stressed enough but I would also add "devious" into the description.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Ya never know when three thousand screaming Saskatchewanites will swoop down across the North Dakota border.

[smith288]

I sent an email to the editor with this:

Your liberal rag has over reached the bounds of reasonable preference. You now show that you are a blatant arm of the DNC with Daschle and Milbank trying to set up a deviant political move (albeit a failure). It has backfired, exposing not only Daschle's ignorance, but also Dana Milbank as a untruthful reporter. I would suggest you write a retraction and place it on the FRONT PAGE in large print. I suggest you put Dana Milbank on probation for such blatant distorting of facts and I suggest you as a rag in whole apologize to your reader base for the failure to report the news instead of inventing it for political purposes. There is a place for false news, its called www.onion.com. I put you in the same league.

[norton]

Actually, I was referring to the ease with which islamists can, or have been able to, slide through canada into the USA.

However, One must also consider the prophesies of South Park as told in "Blame Canada".

[Texas Jack]

Reading your response this morning gave me a large Chuckle, Chuckle, Chuckle...

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX THU SEPT 26, 2002 14:09:27 ET XXXXX STREISAND TO 'GEBHARDT': DON'T ATTAQ IRACK Barbra Streisand has reminded Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt in a blistering memo: "Sadam Hussein did not bomb the World Trade Center."

This statement begs the question, "What did Babs know, and when did she know it?"

Does she have her own intelligence gathering agencies? Did Sadam come to her in a dream and whisper this into her ear? How does she know that Sadam Hussein did not bomb the World Trade Center?

Like BS, the entire democratic party is becoming a cheap lounge act.

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I ment it in homor, only. But I agree, we've seen the ease with which dangerous folks can enter Canada, and then just drive or walk into the US.