The Attack of the Clowns
Here is some fallout (from the Evans-Novak Report) over the Democrats treasonous behavior, and the Presidential response:
The Bush Administration and President George W. Bush may not yet have hit bottom.
1) The Democratic attack on Iraq comes at a time when Bush's approval rating is below 40 percent. It is more focused and effective than previous efforts, asserting that the President not only misled the nation into war but did it intentionally by lying and calculated deception. The brief speech on the Senate floor Monday afternoon by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was tougher and more strident than anything he said as a Democratic presidential candidate last year.
2) The weakness of the White House response up until now has intensified the effectiveness of the Democratic assault. Those reporters who are more sympathetic to Bush have been amazed by the fecklessness of the White House response. It has been nearly impossible to get even a routine response to Democratic attacks. An old rule of politics is that an unanswered attack is enhanced geometrically in its impact.
3) The new counter-attack is viewed by Republicans as welcome, even if it comes late. But shrewd Democratic analysts believe the GOP has blundered by engaging in a debate of whether Bush told the truth three and four years ago instead of imaginatively coming up with something new.
4) For the first time, we hear the "I" word - impeachment -- bandied about Washington by Democrats who can be taken seriously. We have even been told by some astute Republicans that it smells mighty like 1973 in the capital, but that is premature at best. Any talk of impeachment now would cost the Democrats as perceived excessive partisanship, and astute Democrats know that.
5) Meanwhile, the disarray of the Republican majority in Congress cannot be overestimated. The stalled budget bill in the House is a leadership problem, adding to sentiment for election of new leaders in January. But nothing is settled.
6) The election of a Democratic governor in Virginia has propelled outgoing Gov. Mark Warner as the leader for the non-Hillary candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Some Republicans reject that idea, as he is a rookie in national politics. But the last two Democrats sent to the White House also were little-known Southern governors who were national rookies.
7) The one big Republican political asset, the economy, faces menaces. Federal Reserve Chairman-designate Ben Bernanke is known to fear a weakening of the economy while the inflation tiger is out of the bottle. That is not "stagflation," but it is worrisome. The reduction in the Consumer Price Index because of lower oil prices does not impress the Fed, which looks at the larger inflationary picture.
8) The report by the presidential panel on tax reform was a total bust. The House Ways and Means Committee will start from scratch, but nobody expects tax reform in this Congress. The only hope is extending capital gains and dividend tax cuts, and that is a long way from certain.
Iraq: In the past week, the White House communications shop has made a concerted and aggressive effort to turn the tables on the Iraq War by going on the offensive against its critics. The most high-profile element in this campaign was President Bush's speech Friday, complemented by comments from White House spokesman Scott McClellan and communications director Nicole Wallace, who went so far as to accuse Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of dishonesty.
1) The key lines in Bush's speech represent an attempt to take the high ground and brand Democrats as reckless and partisan for their criticism of the Iraq War. "The stakes in the global war on terror are too high and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges," Bush said. "While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."
2) There is some apprehension over the speech because it could create deeper partisan divisions over the war at a time when Bush's popularity is already reaching new lows. However, the White House wants to suggest that some Democrats have simply crossed the line in their anti-war rhetoric, moving from loyal opposition to outright hostility.
3) Bush's speech is meant to call out his critics and put their charges into perspective. The White House wants to clarify that charges that Bush "lied" about intelligence information before the war are mere demagoguery. Both American dominance of the oil-rich Middle East and regime change in Iraq had been part of the agreed-upon, bipartisan foreign policy for more than a decade by the time of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Still, this does not diminish the fact that the attacks are hurting Bush and getting under the Administration's skin.
Bear in mind, there is criticizm and there is sedition, and the Democrats are crossing the line. They are the minority GOVERNING party, not some outsiders looking in. As such, they have a responsibility to speak, well, responsibly, and these attacks play into the hands of the enemy. This is unprecedented! In their lust for power they are willing to inflict irreperable harm on the Nation. This behavior is beyond reprehensible! If they want to talk impeachment, perhaps the time has come for us to speak of treason.
Do they really want to have THAT fight?
The Bush Administration and President George W. Bush may not yet have hit bottom.
1) The Democratic attack on Iraq comes at a time when Bush's approval rating is below 40 percent. It is more focused and effective than previous efforts, asserting that the President not only misled the nation into war but did it intentionally by lying and calculated deception. The brief speech on the Senate floor Monday afternoon by Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was tougher and more strident than anything he said as a Democratic presidential candidate last year.
2) The weakness of the White House response up until now has intensified the effectiveness of the Democratic assault. Those reporters who are more sympathetic to Bush have been amazed by the fecklessness of the White House response. It has been nearly impossible to get even a routine response to Democratic attacks. An old rule of politics is that an unanswered attack is enhanced geometrically in its impact.
3) The new counter-attack is viewed by Republicans as welcome, even if it comes late. But shrewd Democratic analysts believe the GOP has blundered by engaging in a debate of whether Bush told the truth three and four years ago instead of imaginatively coming up with something new.
4) For the first time, we hear the "I" word - impeachment -- bandied about Washington by Democrats who can be taken seriously. We have even been told by some astute Republicans that it smells mighty like 1973 in the capital, but that is premature at best. Any talk of impeachment now would cost the Democrats as perceived excessive partisanship, and astute Democrats know that.
5) Meanwhile, the disarray of the Republican majority in Congress cannot be overestimated. The stalled budget bill in the House is a leadership problem, adding to sentiment for election of new leaders in January. But nothing is settled.
6) The election of a Democratic governor in Virginia has propelled outgoing Gov. Mark Warner as the leader for the non-Hillary candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. Some Republicans reject that idea, as he is a rookie in national politics. But the last two Democrats sent to the White House also were little-known Southern governors who were national rookies.
7) The one big Republican political asset, the economy, faces menaces. Federal Reserve Chairman-designate Ben Bernanke is known to fear a weakening of the economy while the inflation tiger is out of the bottle. That is not "stagflation," but it is worrisome. The reduction in the Consumer Price Index because of lower oil prices does not impress the Fed, which looks at the larger inflationary picture.
8) The report by the presidential panel on tax reform was a total bust. The House Ways and Means Committee will start from scratch, but nobody expects tax reform in this Congress. The only hope is extending capital gains and dividend tax cuts, and that is a long way from certain.
Iraq: In the past week, the White House communications shop has made a concerted and aggressive effort to turn the tables on the Iraq War by going on the offensive against its critics. The most high-profile element in this campaign was President Bush's speech Friday, complemented by comments from White House spokesman Scott McClellan and communications director Nicole Wallace, who went so far as to accuse Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of dishonesty.
1) The key lines in Bush's speech represent an attempt to take the high ground and brand Democrats as reckless and partisan for their criticism of the Iraq War. "The stakes in the global war on terror are too high and the national interest is too important for politicians to throw out false charges," Bush said. "While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began."
2) There is some apprehension over the speech because it could create deeper partisan divisions over the war at a time when Bush's popularity is already reaching new lows. However, the White House wants to suggest that some Democrats have simply crossed the line in their anti-war rhetoric, moving from loyal opposition to outright hostility.
3) Bush's speech is meant to call out his critics and put their charges into perspective. The White House wants to clarify that charges that Bush "lied" about intelligence information before the war are mere demagoguery. Both American dominance of the oil-rich Middle East and regime change in Iraq had been part of the agreed-upon, bipartisan foreign policy for more than a decade by the time of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Still, this does not diminish the fact that the attacks are hurting Bush and getting under the Administration's skin.
Bear in mind, there is criticizm and there is sedition, and the Democrats are crossing the line. They are the minority GOVERNING party, not some outsiders looking in. As such, they have a responsibility to speak, well, responsibly, and these attacks play into the hands of the enemy. This is unprecedented! In their lust for power they are willing to inflict irreperable harm on the Nation. This behavior is beyond reprehensible! If they want to talk impeachment, perhaps the time has come for us to speak of treason.
Do they really want to have THAT fight?
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 4:52 AM
1 Comments:
From the Evans/Novak report, eh? Novak, Novak, hmmm; oh yeah, the guy who's been a syndicated columnist for the NYTimes for 20 or 30 years. Yes, yes, the one with the TV show called "Crossfire". Obviously too much of a liberal media partisan for ME to pay much attention to. :)
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