Dems in Pickle Over Terrorist Trials
If truth in advertising laws pertained to news stories, that would be an appropriate title for
this article on the compromise agreed to by Sens. McCain, Warner and Graham, House Armed Service Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter and the White House.
Frankly, they've got to be worried that they've climbed out onto another limb that Karl Rove was getting ready to take an axe to. I suspect that they've stopped crowing. They've got to know that voting against this legislation is political suicide this November. With the Nutroots left hating this bill, voting for this legislation likely means a primary challenger in 08. That's what's known as occupying a spot east of the rock and west of the very hard place.
I won't go as far as saying that Democrats were hoping for American failure but I'll say that their hoping that President Bush would cave on the interrogation techniques says that their policies would have led to America failing to fight terrorists effectively.
It's also worth asking why Democrats would think that President Bush would cave on this issue. Did they think that President Bush would cave on his most important duty, to protect the American people? Didn't they realize that he's on the side of the angels on this one?
Posted Saturday, September 23, 2006 2:05 PM
August 2006 Posts
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House GOP leaders signaled yesterday that they are satisfied with the main elements of a bill on military trials negotiated Thursday by dissident Republican senators and White House officials, and they predicted that Congress will pass the measure before adjourning next week. "We're going to get this thing across the finish line," Rep. Duncan Hunter, (R-CA), told reporters, less than 24 hours after giving the measure a much cooler reception.As I first said here, Democrats were crowing about the cover John Warner, John McCain and Lindsey Graham were providing on the interrogation and military tribunals for terrorists. That cover disappeared Thursday night when the White House and McCain, Warner and Graham reached a deal on this legislation.
The House response all but settles an intraparty squabble and puts congressional Democrats in a difficult spot six weeks before elections in which they hope to wrest many House and Senate seats from the GOP. Some of the Democrats' liberal constituents dislike the bill, viewing it as a green light for President Bush to resume a CIA policy of interrogating foreign terrorism suspects with harsh techniques that some critics consider torture. But to oppose the compromise, which Sen. John McCain, (R-AZ) has embraced, would subject them to charges of being soft on terrorism, several analysts said.
Frankly, they've got to be worried that they've climbed out onto another limb that Karl Rove was getting ready to take an axe to. I suspect that they've stopped crowing. They've got to know that voting against this legislation is political suicide this November. With the Nutroots left hating this bill, voting for this legislation likely means a primary challenger in 08. That's what's known as occupying a spot east of the rock and west of the very hard place.
Many Democrats would undoubtedly like to change the bill, "but probably those in competitive races will just have to stay behind McCain," said political scientist Bruce Cain, director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. A House Democratic leadership aide , who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss political strategy, said: "We had really hoped the White House had caved, but it's looking more and more like the senators caved."This aide tells you everything you should need to know about the Democrats' thinking when he said "We had really hoped the White House had caved..." Why would they want the President to cave on giving up interrogation techniques that have prevented at least eight terrorist plots and have led to the capture of numerous HVT's? If ever there was a doubt that Democrats weren't serious about national security, this is proof positive.
I won't go as far as saying that Democrats were hoping for American failure but I'll say that their hoping that President Bush would cave on the interrogation techniques says that their policies would have led to America failing to fight terrorists effectively.
It's also worth asking why Democrats would think that President Bush would cave on this issue. Did they think that President Bush would cave on his most important duty, to protect the American people? Didn't they realize that he's on the side of the angels on this one?
Posted Saturday, September 23, 2006 2:05 PM
August 2006 Posts
No comments.
