Republicans tell Democrats to shut their unpatriotic yaps

Democratic leader blasts Bush
GOP cries foul on war critics
By John Aloysius Farrell
Denver Post Washington Bureau Chief

Thursday, September 11, 2003 - WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Democratic Party launched a strident attack on President Bush on Wednesday, fueling a quarrel between the two parties over the role of the political opposition during wartime, and presaging a harsh tone for the upcoming presidential campaign.

Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe accused Bush of making "absolutely ludicrous and insane statements" that endangered U.S. troops in Iraq.

The DNC chairman urged Bush to "go tell the parents" of Americans killed in Iraq why the president found it necessary to don a flight suit, land on the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier and claim "mission accomplished" when Iraq was not yet secure.

McAuliffe said that U.S. soldiers, facing attack and suffering in Iraq's harsh climate, would object to how Bush put them in danger by daring terrorists to attack with the taunt of "Bring 'em on."

Republican officials, when informed of what McAuliffe said, argued that the Democrats are going too far, putting politics ahead of patriotism.

"These harsh, bitter personal attacks are unprecedented in the history of presidential politics," said Republican National Committee press secretary Christine Iverson. "They continue to seek a new low in presidential discourse."

In recent days, as fighting in Iraq continues and the presidential election year approaches, Republican officials have begun to complain that emboldened Democrats are hindering U.S. efforts in the war on terror.

RNC chairman Ed Gillespie has complained about Democratic "political hate speech," and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told reporters traveling with him on a trip to the Middle East on Monday that Bush's political foes are giving encouragement and comfort to America's terrorist foes.

Terrorists "take heart in that, and that leads to more money going into these activities ... more recruits ... more encouragement," Rumsfeld said.

Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., called Rumsfeld's statement a "reprehensible" attempt to stifle dissent.

Larry Sabato, a professor of government at the University of Virginia, said "people who think there is something new here haven't read nearly enough American history."

The RNC's Iverson, however, said former Vermont governor Howard Dean's ability to tap and capitalize on the anger of liberal activists had spurred other Democrats into "an arms race of negativity."

McAuliffe did not deny that, for many Democrats, Bush has provoked unique hostility and that the prospect of dumping him had brought a "sea change" of enthusiasm among party regulars.

Yet McAuliffe argued Wednesday that the Democratic rhetoric was no worse than that used by Republicans in past attacks upon Democratic presidential and Senate candidates.

Indeed, McAuliffe hailed the current crop of Democratic presidential hopefuls for focusing their fire on Bush during the fall debates.

He predicted that Democratic attacks would take a toll on the Republican president's re-election prospects now that the Democratic candidates are getting more exposure, and more voters are paying attention to the upcoming election.

At a breakfast with reporters Wednesday, after McAuliffe was asked about Bush's landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln in May, he raised the issue of Bush's own service in the Alabama National Guard during the Vietnam War, contrasting it unfavorably to his father's service during World War II.

"I said (on) Day One that George Bush was going to rue the day" he landed on the carrier, McAuliffe said.

Now that things are going badly in Iraq, "I do not think he will be using video of the aircraft carrier in his campaign."