Daschle Melts Down, Gore Flip-Flops

Increasingly worried that national security issues, driven by the war on terrorism and the President’s request for congressional approval to use force against Iraq, could hurt their chances in the November’s elections, leading Democrats began last week to show signs of coming unglued.

In a speech before the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, former Vice President Al Gore appeared to reverse position on Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, siding against the use of force to remove him from power (see print edition, page 9). Meanwhile, Senate Majority Tom Daschle (D.-S.D.) took to the Senate floor to deliver a diatribe against President Bush for allegedly impugning the patriotism of Democrats based on a Bush quote printed out of context in the Washington Post.

In a September 23 speech in Trenton, N.J., Bush criticized the Senate for stalling on the Homeland Security bill because some senators want to give workers in the new agency union-backed civil service job protections, while the President wants to treat them like other national security personnel, who do not enjoy union protections.

In this context, Bush said: "I asked Congress to give me the flexibility to be able to deal with the true threats of the 21st Century by being able to move the right people to the right place at the right time, so we can better assure America we’re doing everything possible. The House responded. But the Senate is more interested in special interests in Washington, and not interested in the security of the American people."

In a front-page story two days later, the Post converted this statement into a naked partisan attack: "Four times in the past two days," said the Post, "Bush had suggested that Democrats do not care about national security, saying on Monday that the Democrat-controlled Senate is ‘not interested in the security of the American people.’"

On the Senate floor, Daschle ignored the context of Bush’s remark and instead, his arms flailing, directly attacked the President by trotting out the image of supposedly insulted Democratic veterans. "Not interested in the security of the American people?" said Daschle. "You tell Sen. Inouye he’s not interested in the security of the American people! You tell those who fought in Vietnam and World War II they’re not interested in the security of the American people! That is outrageous! Outrageous!"

The next day, Daschle came very close to directly tying Bush’s remarks on the Homeland Security bill to Senate inaction on an Iraq resolution. According to the Post, Daschle "remained furious about the remark today and called it a setback to a resolution."

Ironically, if this Post report is true, it would mean Daschle was indeed guilty of the charge he accused Bush of leveling against Democrats: namely, holding up a war resolution, not on its merits, but because of feigned or real anger over a remark by the President—a clear indicator of putting politics above the security of the American people.

There could be nothing but politics, of course, behind the shifting rhetoric of once-and-future presidential candidate Al Gore. Here is one before-and-after shot of Gore:

BEFORE: "President [George H. W.] Bush should not be blamed for Saddam Hussein’s survival to this point. There was throughout the war a clear consensus that the United States should not include the conquest of Iraq among its objectives. On the contrary, it was universally accepted that our objective was to push Iraq out of Kuwait, and it was further understood that when this was accomplished, combat should stop."

AFTER: "Now, back in 1991, I was one of a handful of Democrats in the United States Senate to vote in favor of the resolution endorsing the Persian Gulf War, and I felt betrayed by the first Bush Administration’s hasty departure from the battlefield even as Saddam began to renew his persecution of the Kurds in the north and the Shiites in the south, groups that we had, after all, encouraged to rise up against Saddam."

Ummmm...Daschle flip flops as well...

Later in 1998, Senator Tom Daschle - now the Senate Majority Leader -- lobbied for a Congressional resolution to take "all necessary measures" to respond to the Iraqi threat. At the time, a large number of U.S. allies opposed any U.S. military action. Daschle responded to questions about the need for action this way: "Look, we have exhausted, virtually, our diplomatic effort to get the Iraqis to comply with their own agreements and with international law. Given that, what other option is there but to force them to do so?"

Source

When I see the Dems flip flopping (and getting caught) and doing melt downs like Daschle did yesterday, I am overcome with a sense of hope for the future - until I remember that Clinton was elected twice. There are a lot of blind sheeple on the left.

"Al Gore should be FORCED to explain his contradictory words"

Any explanation for why he sweats so profusely; had not noticed in his last quick interview; just a few words to his questioner; and sweat was running off his nose, lip and chin. . .can only imagine his clothes. . .

. . .he seems to embody his swamp scum personnal. . .

Each time Tom Daschle decides to whip it out he gets his tushie whopped while Algore flips and flops.

What a pair. It's like Abbott and Costello, only worse.

I mean who's on first and who never showed up? Is this the finest and the brightest the democrat leadership has to offer today?

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