The Christian Science Monitor takes a reasoned look at how the Bush Administration has used terror and the war for political gain. They conclude that it would not be wise for Democrats to focus on Bush’s handling of the war in the mid-term campaign. They say the focus should be on the domestic side of things.
Unfortunately, I have to agree. Whether they are correct in their criticism or not, as soon as any Democrat says anything about what the administration has done to prosecute the war, Ari and his attack dogs launch their “un-patriotic/ playin’ politics” attacks and we hear about new threats of terrorism. It’s not fair (I think it is unconscionable), but it has worked so far.
I think the Democrats could more effectivley use the war in their campaigns in the following way. They should say something like, “The President is handling the war and we support that, but prosecuting the war is very time consuming and demands the full attention of the executive branch. The White House has not had the time to focus the necessary attention to domestic problems that are troubling the nation–problems like Social Security, the Environment, and Education. We need a Democratically controlled House and Senate so we can work with the President on the War Effort and on homeland security, but at the same time, ensure we do not lose sight of the other issues that are important to the Nation’s families.” That seems pretty bipartisan to me. I think the public will accept this tactic more readily than if the Democrats campaign as a watchdog intent on keeping tabs on civil liberties and the President’s prosecution of the war.
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9:57 pm on June 14th, 2002
I want to respectfully disagree.
I think that Senators and members of Congress, whatever their party, who have reason to question or criticize anything about the war on terrorism should do so; and they should keep asking and criticizing, louder and louder, until their questions are answered and criticisms addressed. And should Ari Fleischer respond improperly - and questioning the “patriotism” of a Senator or Congressperson is always improper - they should demand the President to deal with him.
Fleischer is an issue that needs to be dealt with in any event. He is internationally famous for his prodigious lying. perhaps it was novel of funny for a short time, but then it went to far (perhaps 10 minutes into his first briefing) and its been allowed to continue far too long. It would be good to have a fight about the value of truth especially in crisis situations. Not only should the administration refrain from lying. It should ensure that any information it provides is accurate.
For whatever reason, it has become acceptable, expected, for the administration to lie. last month, it became apparent that the administration had lied about the information it had prior to the attacks. It “modified” its lie, but this tuned out to be a lie as well. This happened several times, and no serious objections were raised.
As far as war and “patriotism” go, what obligations does patriotism impose on members of the legislative branch in the current situation: an administration claiming to be pursuing a war and about which it says little or nothing, and what little is does say as often as not turns out to be untrue. It isn’t unpatriotic for Congress to insist on information, or to probe deeper when that information suggests some problem.
10:26 pm on June 14th, 2002
I don’t disagree with you. It would be my preference that those Democrats running for office take the Bush Administration to task for all they have done. Stategically, however, I don’t think that tactic will win them any seats. As much as I hate to admit it, the Adminstration has astronomical approval ratings. People are listening to what they say. Sadly, it seems to me that the public is buying the “They’re playing politics in a time of war” spiel. I think the Dems should focus on doing what they need to do to win back the House and strengthen their Senate majority. At that point, they will be in a better position to criticize the administration and legislate more effectively. At that point, it will be more diffcult for miscreants like Ari Fleischer to have their way.