Originally Posted By Darkbeer <a href="http://www.washtimes.com/national/20051228-122207-1549r.htm" target="_blank">http://www.washtimes.com/natio nal/20051228-122207-1549r.htm</a> >>Some centrist Democrats say attacks by their party leaders on the Bush administration's eavesdropping on suspected terrorist conversations will further weaken the party's credibility on national security. That concern arises from recent moves by liberal Democrats to block the extension of parts of the USA Patriot Act in the Senate and denunciations of President Bush amid concerns that these initiatives could violate the civil liberties of innocent Americans. "I think when you suggest that civil liberties are just as much at risk today as the country is from terrorism, you've gone too far if you leave that impression. I don't believe that's true," said Michael O'Hanlon, a national-security analyst at the Brookings Institution who advises Democrats on defense issues. "I get nervous when I see the Democrats playing this [civil liberties] issue out too far. They had better be careful about the politics of it," said Mr. O'Hanlon, who says the Patriot Act is "good legislation." These Democrats say attacks on anti-terrorist intelligence programs will deepen mistrust of their ability to protect the nation's security, a weakness that led in part to the defeat of Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, last year. "The Republicans still hold the advantage on every national-security issue we tested," said Mark Penn, a Democratic pollster and former adviser to President Clinton, who co-authored a Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) memo on the party's national-security weaknesses. Nervousness among Democrats intensified earlier this month after Democrats led a filibuster against the Patriot Act that threatened to block the measure, followed by a victory cry from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, who declared at a party rally, "We killed the Patriot Act." <<
Originally Posted By woody The Democrats are attacking Bush on foreign policy and that makes the Democrats look weak on national security. Again, the Democrats are not focusing on their strengths in domestic policy (but my opinion is they are weak on that as well). The next step is how will the Democrats change the subject to focus back on domestic policy. It may be too late to bait and switch for the 2006 elections.
Originally Posted By cmpaley Considering Bob Barr is just as frightened by the opportunities for abuse the "USA PATRIOT Act" opens up, I think you'd want to eject him forthwith from the Party and declare him to be a RINO. He's opposed to something being proposed by the Collective, thus, not a REAL Republican.
Originally Posted By patrickegan Just think if Bubba was less preoccupied with intern’s it’s quite possible he could have nipped this whole war on terror thing in bud.
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh <Considering Bob Barr is just as frightened by the opportunities for abuse the "USA PATRIOT Act" opens up, I think you'd want to eject him forthwith from the Party and declare him to be a RINO.> You'd be wrong. What I know about Bob Barr is that he's a reliable conservative vote. Most of the time I agree with him. On this issue, however, he's wrong.
