Jay Rockefeller angers Daschle, Howard Dean Staff stunned at Clinton.

AmericanProwler ^ | 07/25/03 | The Prowler

[Pikamax]

Jay and the Anti-Americans

By The Prowler Published 7/25/2003 12:04:00 AM

LOOK WHO'S TALKING The Senate Democratic Caucus was up in arms earlier this week, complaining to reporters on Capitol Hill that Sen. Jay Rockefeller was not the source they should be going to for comments about the just-released 9/11 Report and the purported White House "misuse" of intelligence data to buttress arguments for taking down Saddam.

Senators Tom Daschle and Harry Reid, the Senate's Democratic leader and whip respectively, were both bad-mouthing Rockefeller, and let it be known in a meeting of all Democratic press secretaries that they, along with Sen.Bob Graham, were to be the only conduits for official Senate Democratic statements on either issue.

"This is the first time this White House has made a misstep we can capitalize on, and Rockefeller is out there soft-peddling the stuff like it is no big deal," says a Senate leadership staffer. "If Bush emerges from this unscathed, Rockefeller deserves a lot of the blame from our end."

Daschle and Reid had both told party caucus members that the past ten days have given them the best chance at wounding the White House. They asked for a coordinated communications effort, in line with their House counterparts and the Democratic National Committee. But then Rockefeller, who serves as ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, went off the reservation and told reporters that before there was any serious finger-pointing, the committee had to take in all the information. That was not the spin Daschle and company wanted.

Rockefeller's comments, however, were nothing next to those from former President Bill Clinton's on Tuesday's "Larry King Live," which left the Democrats on Capitol Hill almost speechless. Clinton, who said he had bombed Iraq in 1998, in part because of the threat of Saddam's nuclear program, took virtually all the air out of the Democrats' plans to continue attacking the White House's handling of uranium purchase intelligence used in the State of the Union Address.

"He had to have done it for Hillary. They are up to something," says a Howie Dean presidential campaign staffer in New Hampshire. "We can't believe our party's leader would stab us in the back unless there was something more to it. Maybe he's setting us all up for something else. Or he thinks by clearing the field of a national security topic, it will be easier for Hillary to enter the race and focus on domestic policy. Whatever, we can't believe he did it."

As for Rockefeller, a leadership staffer for Republicans said the word on the Hill was that Rockefeller was aware of what his party was trying to do to the White House, but chafed at taking orders from Daschle and Reid, particularly when the senator from West Virginia was basically told to steer all interview requests to higher-ups in the party.

[hobbes1]

I literall LOL in my ofc, when i read that yesterday.

[Zack Nguyen]

These people act as if they were on another planet when Clinton was President. He plays his own games and has his own agenda, and cares not a whit for the good of his party.

As I recall, it was Clinton's inspired leadership that helped make the Democrats the minority party in America.

[NeoCaveman]

It will be very sweet if, come 2004, not only is Bush re-elected, but Reid and Daschle are both defeated.

And that is quite possible.

[holden]

W. Va. Senator John D. Rockefeller, Democratic Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, someone who is absolutely in a position to know the truth about the British Intelligence uranium matter, when asked on Fox News Sunday on June 22, 2003 whether he'd heard any evidence to suggest President Bush lied regarding Iraqi WMD intelligence reports said, "No, I have not."

When asked why John Kerry was intimating Bush had lied, Rockefeller basically said, "Kerry is running for president, his agenda is not the same as mine."

HF

[RippleFire]

bump

[MCSTex]

Daschle and Reid had both told party caucus members that the past ten days have given them the best chance at wounding the White House.

Since when is it the "job" of the Senate to wound the White House?

These meatheads are not interested in the welfare of our country, they are only interested in personal gain. They are whores for the lobby.

[ChiefsMan]

I wonder if she wants to sabotage the other Dems for '04, so she can run against a non-incumbent Repub in '08. I don't know any more than you do. It's just my theory.

[samanella]

For once, I applaud the junior senator from WV (the senior senator is under wraps (sheets), I guess...he's been very quiet lately)! He seems to have grown a backbone! His roots are Republican, after all...

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

What really is amazing is that they're trying to muzzle another US Senator, as if he's not allowed to speak in public on a subject since he doesn't have "clearance" from "higher-ups" in the Party!!!!!!!!

[MattinNJ]

LOL-priceless quote.

Do you think Hillary running is a bad thing. I think it would shore up the conservative wing of the GOP which seems to be eroding every day and it would get her ugly ass out of the running once and for all. I personally think Dubya would raise 400 million instead of 200 million and would give him HUGE coat tails.

The only downside (besides the obvious one of her potentially winning) would be being deprived of seeing Condi whip her candy ass in '08.

[hobbes1]

I think the possiblity exists that she is just fostering the idea, by having people allege that she has a toe in the water.


If you go back (and I said this at the time) they were quietly sabotaging Gores campaign, and I think they are doing the same thing here...with the nine dwarves.


The only way she runs is if something catastrophic happens to the Administration.

[petitfour]

It's much more likely that Bubba is trying to save the idiots from themselves. He knows that there are WMD to be found. He knows what the intel was on Iraq. He knows it's just a matter of time before we find them, and if the RATS don't shut up, they'll ruin the chances of all RATS. Even Hillary was starting to join the bandwagon. Bubba spoke up and shushed HER and the rest of 'em. I get the idea that Hillary! is not the most wise when it comes to running her mouth. (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy) Now, Bubba has told her publically to lay off on this issue.

[MattinNJ]

Her best shot is to have Dean win the primary so it's a landslide. Then the Dems would have to come on bended knee to her (as if they don't already). Barring a meteor strike, I don't see Dubya losing.

I agree with you that they cut Gore's knees out from under him.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

She's running in '04 folks, there's no doubt about it.

Is this what Bush is waiting for?

[hobbes1]

And they are doing the same thing here.


The Party starts skewing the public perception, and BillyJeff steps in and Pees in their punchbowl....Priceless

[beachn4fun]

Daschle and Reid had both told party caucus members that the past ten days have given them the best chance at wounding the White House.

Oh boy, now they are actually admitting in semi-public that they are only doing this to cause Bush political damage.

My thoughts exactly.

[Eva]

I was posting this exact scenario and wondering why the Democrats were not crying foul. I guess they heard me. Grahm should be especially upset because he has done such a 180 to fit the leftist tilt of the party. The one aspect of this situation that seems to have escaped the Democrats is that much of the direction to aim at the WMD and the STOU came from Clinton's buddy, Terry McAuliffe. If this wasn't a set up, I don't know what is.

[Southack]

"The one aspect of this situation that seems to have escaped the Democrats is that much of the direction to aim at the WMD and the STOU came from Clinton's buddy, Terry McAuliffe. If this wasn't a set up, I don't know what is."

I'd suggest another aspect, too.

Gore and Hillary have been silent on those matters.

Ahhh, but not just everyone can put all of the pieces together...

[mallardx]

GIRLFIGHT!!! GIRLFIGHT!!!

[Howlin]

Check this out and factor this in:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/952559/posts