Mar 20 2007
Giving Dems & Media The Rope To Hang With
All of those who quit on the administration, who called for Gonzales to step down, who looked forward to a replacement – in essence every conservative and Republican who sided with the liberal dems – welcome to a lesson in both backbone and timing:
President Bush warned Democrats Tuesday to accept his offer to allow top aides to testify about the firings of federal prosecutors only privately and not under oath, or risk a constitutional showdown from which he would not back down.
“We will not go along with a partisan fishing expedition aimed at honorable public servants,” Bush said in a statement from the White House. “I proposed a reasonable way to avoid an impasse.”
Bush allowed the story an opportunity to dissipate (it was all inside baseball and only about 8 disgruntled ex-officials). So he gave it a chance to collapse and kept is powder dry. He also allowed the Dems to go on the talk shows this weekend and make a big deal about the issue – running out on their collective limbs. And then he used a dinner-time press conference from the WH to hoist the libs on their own pittard.
This is the art of political jujitsu. Not just any issue is this trivial to defend, this constitutionally solid and this easy to communicate to the American people. And it is not that often Dems go this far off half-cocked on an issue which, when compared to Bill Clinton’s removal of nearly 100 AGs over is tenure, is easy to tar them as cheap hypocrites. And that is why those who caved really should be ashamed of themselves. I grew up in DC and this PR game is not as it always seems, which it is wise to stick by your principles and stick by your guns. Appeasement never works. And cutting your losses was never an option on this matter. Bush waited to make sure this was an issue he needed to use his bullypulpit on – and that is why he did not – correctly – respond like this last week when the media would have ignored his comments. It had to build before his response would carry large weight.
The result of such great timing is that Bush is helping to tank the nation’s support of the Dem’s, since clearly they have wasted their first two months on vendettas, vengeance and feel good propaganda and NOT on dealing with the nation’s most important issues. And when that image of Dems solidifies we get poll results like this, where Dems are sinking and Bush is rising. Note Reps are not rising – just Bush. Maybe that is because everyone is turned off by people clamoring for other people to resign instead of proposing workable solutions. (H/T to Mac Ranger on the new poll numbers). All those who demanded Bush get a backbone should now eat their crow. Where was their backbone in supporting Bush and his REPUBLICAN administration?
I was not surprised to see the Democrats act like idiots but I was surprised to see Republicans jump on the bandwagon. I should not have been, considering the number of times that has happened. Even Tacredo said Gonzales should go, and we all know what a big supporter of liberal causes he is. Sometimes right and left meet. and when they do, it ain’t pretty.
I like Ed Morrisey but even he has been snotty about this. I am not sure he supports ousting AG but he is complaining about the way the administration handled it.
I think that something else is happening too. Once upon a time somehthing like this would not even have been an issue. I wonder sometimes if the chattering class is getting so loud that they are making it impossible for anyone to govern. Really.
all they do is nitpick everything. I am not sure that there is anyway anyone, Dem or Republican can survive that kind of hypercritical scrutiny for long. And look at how far from perfect most of them are themselves.
Truman once said we need to have a Department of Columnists because they think they run the damn country anyway. True, they do and they never shut up.
AJ,
” All those who demanded Bush get a backbone should now eat their crow. Where was their backbone in supporting Bush and his REPUBLICAN administration?” –
Amen to that!
I’m thinking that it was probably better for Bush to gather the facts before he spoke. With the kind of coup that is going on it is hard to ascertain exactly what the facts are. I’m pretty sure Bush knows the answer to those questions now. He did not seem very happy that some one is undermining his AG.
Terrye,
Agree, but the “nitpicking” and distorting are one sided.
Interesting that, testerday, you pointed out the lapses of “conservative” columnists and now we see it’s bloggers too. At least on the internet, they have to reckon with informed readers that can challenge them, in real time. The MSM is unchecked.
I’m glad to see that Bush stand up to those Democrats. After reading Hot Air’s post, I see a difference. Nixon did not have anything to offer to his opponents. Bush did with his proposal. The court system could rule it differently because of his proposal. What a smart move that is.
Bush knows that the Democrats will not accept the proposal and take this up with the judiciary branch.
But if the Democrats did accept the proposal, will Waxman finally cede that his 1000 investigations are not the right thing to do?
AJ, yesterday you said this was about pending NSA and other leak investigations and the Democrats wanting to cast the DoJ as partisan. I have been thinking about that and am coming to a different conclusion. I see this as one tactic in a fundamental change in Democrat strategy. I think the Democrats are starting to smell the scent of potential victory in Iraq. It appears that a major psychological tipping point might be at hand with the Iraqi people realizing that they can defeat the insurgents resulting in a quick ramping up of their confidence and ability.
Also, the 100-day “slow bleed” legislative strategy blew up on them and divided the party with the “blue dogs” in mutiny. They are coming to the realization that they have to find another issue and quick because being on the wrong side of the Iraq issue is going to clobber them if the tide changes. They need another issue they can keep in front of the people as they go quiet on Iraq.
There is a problem with this particular issue, though. While war policy might be a broader based attack since most Republicans support the war effort, this attack is aimed directly at Bush. And Bush isn’t going to be in the next election. This DoJ witch hunt isn’t going to stick to a different candidate while the war policy debate probably would. Also, and even worse for the Democrats, their candidate’s war policy position is going to come back to bite them hard if this thing turns around as it appears to be doing.
I think they are going with this because quite frankly, it’s all they have and they are starting to panic. The Iraq war might be politically a moot issue in another 9 months and other than that one issue, the Democrats have nothing. The economy is great, the deficit is down, the war would be going well … and they are going to look bad for having bet against their own troops when the chips were down.
To All,
Tell me this is true:
Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Did George Bush say that he’s authorizing the release not only of the e-mails between the WH and DOJ, but also any “Congressional†correspondence on the same issue??? This is MAJOR!!! I can’t wait for Feinstein and Boxer and Chuck Schumer and Patrick Leahy to be exposed as the frauds and the hypocrites they are. This is what the “warning” was about?
Please, please, please tell me that’s what he said. This five minute warning shot was MAJOR league strategy!
Carol
Reasons why the Democrats are attacking on this front:
Bush Performance to date:
1. Economy
a. Low interest rates
b. Low unemployment
c. Dropping deficits
d. Lower taxes
2. Foreign Policy
a. Libya – Nuclear program peacefully terminated, rejoining world community.
b. North Korea – Nuclear program on the verge of peaceful termination.
c. Iran – Peaceful coordination with allies in pressing for nuclear program termination. Defection of high level officers providing intelligence.
d. Afghanistan – Rolling up Taliban “spring offensive” before it can get started. Militant groups now fighting between themselves in Pakistan.
e. Somalia – Quietly supported rout of Islamic Courts ejection from Mogadishu.
f. Iraq – Providing Iraqi forces with needed training and support in turning on insurgent groups. Change in policy to “clear and stay” giving locals hope and paying dividends in intelligence. Breaking up of Iranian operations inside Iraq undercutting a major support network for insurgents.
The Democrats are going to have some tough work ahead of them.
“any “Congressional†correspondence on the same issue??? ”
Holy Moley! If he releases it to the public and not just to a closed door committee, awesome!
CrossPatch,
I think that was the implied threat anyway. Having listened to the audio again I believe that he was talking about White House correspondence with Congress about this issue. I don’t think he has the means to use correspondence between Congress and the DOJ. However, Alberto Gonzales can!! Will he is the question. The President did make it a point to mention the “complaints” about lack of prosecutions on such as voter fraud and immigration, and that’s what made me think he may be prepared to haul out the brass knuckles. He would prefer to do that behind closed doors obviously, but he is warning that he will NOT back down. He MEANS it!
Thanks for listening Mr. President. Tell these idiots to stuff it!
You know, you grow accustomed to a certain amount of political wrangling going on in Washington. Everything seems to be ratcheted-up these days, though. We’ve reached and, I think, have become accustomed to the non-stop campaign. There can never be any real work done on anything because everybody is campaigning ALL of the time. And I’m afraid that after a few months off (following the election), we’re back to scandal-a-week mode. Just relax, because the White House is going to be constantly “under a cloud of scandal†from now until the 2008 election. I find it hard even to get worked up over this stuff anymore. The “scandals†are getting more and more ridiculous.
That said, I just can’t understand what the Dems are doing. Just about all of what they’ve done so far since taking control falls into two categories: getting really serious about total non-issues (e.g. DOJ firings) or doing totally unserious things about really important issues (e.g. Iraq).
Ya know, if Bush did not understand politics, I’d be very surprised!
He came into DC being underestimated.
And, again, because he doesn’t talk much; the donks flew at him!
So, he made them a “reasonable offer.” They could yak with Rove and Harriet Miers all they want to. Off the record. And, no witch hunts.
So now they’ve got a choice. To twist in the wind on their story, slowly. Or with speed. Since IF the subpeonas actually get served at the White House, the next step is to turn it over to the Courts.
Where you get the current crop of judges running in circles. Testing the winds. To see if they can slide to oblivion. Or defend the Constituiton.
It’s not as if judges, these days, have high approval ratings.
Where are their approval ratings? Oh, someplace along the lines the priests achieved when they thought they could hide the pedophile priests from public rebuke.
This time? The president just has to hold his ground.
He gave his speech.
It’s not as if the donks are cleaning up. Where it looks like they can “win” in 2008. In the past when the donks gave up on the White House. (Reagan’s the best example, now, in the bunch.) They thought “okay.” They’d hold the senate. And, the American people hostage.
We’re still “hostage.” To pigs in a pork trough.
But? Well, butt my behind, we have the Internet. And, from the looks of things, Katie Courie earns lots of money. But she’s not doing well.
It seems both the media and the donks, laid out big investments.
But payday’s pretty far off.
While “300” is still cleaning up. Still talking “cash register.” Which is one of the few things the donks and the media understand. When they’re not earning up to par.
But “300” is still an example of hollywood, as it was, back in the old days. When you could bank on the talent.
Bush? He just has to hold his cards. And, let the donks whine.
That some GOP kiesters join in that fray? Sure. Some GOP kiesters win local races. But then when they try to go national they find less leg room to kick and dance.
It’s as if American politics is meeting American Idol. And, one thing you’ll notice. The marketplace meets the mainstream, over profits.
All others? Who cares?
AG Gonzales is the kind of guy that wouldn’t make it to the top in most administrations.
While real lawyers don’t look for the jobs the 8 lost, either.
In politics? To pull away from this herd we need to see some winning.
We’ve got in, now, in Iraq. Where the bad spots are still the sunni’s roach motel. And, the slums of the shi’ites. Where life isn’t worth two-cents.
Not a bad place to set our military out to learn. Those lessons will come in handy down the line.
Anyway, the donks are stymied. Because to prepare the subpeonas. And, then to have the courts take any worthwhile action; Florida will first be underwater, due to global warming.
And, the issues? Each month that passes brings us closer to 2008.
And, in February, 2008, a major part of America will be participating in primaries; far removed from the boobs in DC.
Bush also is no lame duck during this process. And, no president worth his salt is really “Mr. Nice Guy.”
I’ll give credit where credit is due. This was a good bold move and I’m glad to see it. It was more than I ever thought he would do and I’m glad to say I was wrong. HOWEVER, this thing is not over yet, he needs to stick to his guns and not bend from this position. I wish he had taken such a bold stand on Plamegate, he didn’t and it hurt him and his administration terribly and it pissed off a hell of a lot of real republicans that he didn’t. I don’t like the fact that he said he will let Rove and Meirs meet with congress and discuss this with them, they are going to try again to get Rove into a perjury trap, (you don’t have to be under oath to be lying to congress), he should have just left that part out and told the dems, if you have evidence of a crime, produce it, or shutup. He left their foot in the door with the Rove thing.
Like I said, I applaud his statement. It is a very good thing that he came out and said what this really was, a fishing expedition. But I hope you all don’t think that this whole thing is over. I wish it was, but this could just get real nasty and bloody. I’m not so much against that but I would like to see the dems getting bloodied once in a while. I’m still not convinced that Gonzales will survive.
How come after every time Carol_Herman posts I feel like I have to interject, “And now we return you to your regularly scheduled program already in progress”?
My misgivings over Bush’s past political leadership aside, I’m glad he’s standing tough on this issue.
CP,
Hope you are right about Iraq – because if that is what made them do this is was rock-solid stupid. Because if Iraq turns around whining about some lazy prosecutors is not going to save the Dems!
The reason I don’t think this fight is anywhere near over is because of what’s driving it. Things like Harry Reid, undoubtedly one of the most powerful senators in the congress. He is up to his neck in crooked deals in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada. Evidence up the wazoo and yet the US Attorney in his district is sitting on his hands. If they put an aggressive US Att in there and he goes after Harry Reid, Reid will burn down congress before he goes anywhere in handcuffs.
Another example is Washington state, in the most blantantly stolen gubenatorial election in the history of the US, the US Attorney sat on his hands and did nothing. Thats what this fight is about. AJ had an earlier thread on it about a Pre-emptive Attack.
This is going to be real hardball. Bush has at least stepped up to the plate and he deserves great credit for that. But he hasn’t hit the winning homer yet guys.
A poster named Kathy over at Patterico’s blog offers this observation:
“Am I missing a point, didn’t both House’s get their collective undies in a bundle about the separation of powers during the seizure of evidence in the Jefferson matter a criminal case. The fed’s wanted the evidence, asked and were put off for months (too busy to make a decision). Now they want evidence and there is no separation because it is political. ”
http://patterico.com/2007/03/20/5988/commenter-wls-defends-an-administration-that-cant-be-bothered-to-defend-itself/#comment-243647
Things like Harry Reid, undoubtedly one of the most powerful senators in the congress. He is up to his neck in crooked deals in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada. Evidence up the wazoo and yet the US Attorney in his district is sitting on his hands. If they put an aggressive US Att in there and he goes after Harry Reid, Reid will burn down congress before he goes anywhere in handcuffs.
Now that’s something I’d pay to see, BK. BTW, Daniel Bogden, the U.S. Attorney in Las Vegas, is one of the ones fired. Next to nothing mentioned about him in the media, which leads me to believe that one of the reasons for his termination could be failure to investigate Reid and his shady land deals.
BTW, I agree with your earlier comment almost word for word. I’m glad to see what appears to be happening happen, but it ain’t over by a long shot. My guess is, regardless of what Rove and Miers say, if it’s behind closed doors, Chuckie Schumer, Kennedy, Biden, et al will distort, misrepresent and flat out lie about what they said. Reminds me of a line from an old Robert Redford movie, “The Candidate”, in which a crusty old southern pol tells the young Presidential candidate, Redford, “Son, it ain’t about the truth — it’s about power (or something to that effect).
People forget that Bush was elected governor in Texas … a state that has more Independents than Democrats and is about even between Dems and Reps. Bush also had a reputation in Texas as someone who could work with both parties and get deals done. It’s the Dems that are digging in their heels here, not Bush. He is offering them a fair and reasonable way through this. Good on ya, Mr. President!
The MSM is not only “unchecked.” They’re propelling down hill at a very fast rate;
Speed is not an indicator to profits.
While Bush finally decided to show some backbone. This gives the MSM the view they deserve. Because you can’t see backbone from the front.
As to Gonzales, he’s long removed frrom his high hopes. Harriet Miers cured him of that; when she accepted the nomination for O’Connor’s seat.
Nope. She didn’t get it. But neither did the first UNDESERVING hispanic. WIN-WIN.
Bush likes to be surrounded by nice people.
Most Presidents know better.
But this is a fight Bush can win. He doesn’t even have to talk, now that he “closed.”
Which is a pretty good sales technique. Come to think of it.
The “witch hunt” thing has really frosted Bush off. To say nothing about those of us who followed Libby’s travails.