Independent Contractor Terrorist
Bill Gertz reports concern in the US that Saddam will use third party terrorist to attack the US. As the war gets closer it is expected that Saddam may attempt a preemptive strike using the free lance terrorist. This concern, of course, has been the driving force behind US policy on Iraq since 9-11. Saddam just made the move to war easier by openly violatring his obligations to disarm. By failing to disarm he made an attack more, not less, likely. It is a lesson that North Korea and Iran must learn.
The Incredible Credibility Charge
Sen. Daschle and the Dems have decided they need to drive up George Bush's negatives as we go to war. Their vehicle for this move is to use the complaints of the Euro wimps for a baseless challenge to Bush's credibility. By coincidence on the same day news of this plan broke in the Washington Times, Paul Krugman devotes his regular Bush bash in the New York Times to another challenge of Bush's credibility. Is the food chain for the vast left wing conspiracy showing?
The NY Times editor, Howell Raines, speaking at a recent award ceremony apparently thinks critics of his work are being unfair. He believes the Fox News slogan of being "fair and balanced" applies to his paper. The problem with Raines and other liberal media types is they view liberal ideaolgy as the middle of the road.
Democrats Go Liberal
Before the 2002 election David Broader, in the Washington Post criticized Democratic opposition to Bush policies on the war as incoherent. He was correct and the Dems took the criticism it to heart. One of the ways Clinton had been able to win elections is by keeping the scary crazy aunts of the Democrat left wing tucked away in the attic where they could only vent at close door Democratic event. The Broader column resulted in the crazy aunt break out from the attic. Thus Jim McDermott and David Bonior go to Baghdad and make the first assault on President Bush's credibility by saying, incredibly enough, that they believe Saddam over George Bush. This episode hurt the Dems in the 2002 election. With this episode behind them, the anti war Dems have decided to rachet up their anti war rhetoric on the eve of the war with Iraq. Those Dems who have supported a war with Iraq have blamed the Bush administration for the bad conduct of the French and Germans. All of this is done when at most the anti war groups compose less than a third of the US voters.
The Dems have also decided to admit that they are liberals. This is remarkable when you consider that the number of people in this country that self identify as liberals continues to shrink. The New York Liberal Party did not get enough votes in the last election to qualify for a ballot spot in the next election, so they are disbanding. Yet Daschle said after the election that the Dems needed a liberal Rush Limbaugh. Apparently some rich Dems who would otherwise be making soft money contributions to the party had they not been banned by the vote of Democrats, have decided to spend several million dollars to set up a liberal talk radio network. You would think they could get more bang for their buck by contributing to an existing liberal talk radio network like NPR.
What is going on here is that Democrats think they lost the last election because they were not liberal enough to energize their base. In that regard they are like the Islamic fundamentalist who believe the misery they find themselves in is caused by their failure to be islamic enough. They only energize a shrinking core of true believers and move the rest people into the opposing camp. Clinton talked about appealing to the vital center. These guys are chasing the center into Bush's camp.
Bill Gertz reports concern in the US that Saddam will use third party terrorist to attack the US. As the war gets closer it is expected that Saddam may attempt a preemptive strike using the free lance terrorist. This concern, of course, has been the driving force behind US policy on Iraq since 9-11. Saddam just made the move to war easier by openly violatring his obligations to disarm. By failing to disarm he made an attack more, not less, likely. It is a lesson that North Korea and Iran must learn.
The Incredible Credibility Charge
Sen. Daschle and the Dems have decided they need to drive up George Bush's negatives as we go to war. Their vehicle for this move is to use the complaints of the Euro wimps for a baseless challenge to Bush's credibility. By coincidence on the same day news of this plan broke in the Washington Times, Paul Krugman devotes his regular Bush bash in the New York Times to another challenge of Bush's credibility. Is the food chain for the vast left wing conspiracy showing?
The NY Times editor, Howell Raines, speaking at a recent award ceremony apparently thinks critics of his work are being unfair. He believes the Fox News slogan of being "fair and balanced" applies to his paper. The problem with Raines and other liberal media types is they view liberal ideaolgy as the middle of the road.
Democrats Go Liberal
Before the 2002 election David Broader, in the Washington Post criticized Democratic opposition to Bush policies on the war as incoherent. He was correct and the Dems took the criticism it to heart. One of the ways Clinton had been able to win elections is by keeping the scary crazy aunts of the Democrat left wing tucked away in the attic where they could only vent at close door Democratic event. The Broader column resulted in the crazy aunt break out from the attic. Thus Jim McDermott and David Bonior go to Baghdad and make the first assault on President Bush's credibility by saying, incredibly enough, that they believe Saddam over George Bush. This episode hurt the Dems in the 2002 election. With this episode behind them, the anti war Dems have decided to rachet up their anti war rhetoric on the eve of the war with Iraq. Those Dems who have supported a war with Iraq have blamed the Bush administration for the bad conduct of the French and Germans. All of this is done when at most the anti war groups compose less than a third of the US voters.
The Dems have also decided to admit that they are liberals. This is remarkable when you consider that the number of people in this country that self identify as liberals continues to shrink. The New York Liberal Party did not get enough votes in the last election to qualify for a ballot spot in the next election, so they are disbanding. Yet Daschle said after the election that the Dems needed a liberal Rush Limbaugh. Apparently some rich Dems who would otherwise be making soft money contributions to the party had they not been banned by the vote of Democrats, have decided to spend several million dollars to set up a liberal talk radio network. You would think they could get more bang for their buck by contributing to an existing liberal talk radio network like NPR.
What is going on here is that Democrats think they lost the last election because they were not liberal enough to energize their base. In that regard they are like the Islamic fundamentalist who believe the misery they find themselves in is caused by their failure to be islamic enough. They only energize a shrinking core of true believers and move the rest people into the opposing camp. Clinton talked about appealing to the vital center. These guys are chasing the center into Bush's camp.
Comments
Post a Comment