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Democrats in Disarray following Bush Carrier Speech
By Bobby Eberle
[email protected]
Rather than keeping quiet in response to the overwhelmingly positive marks
given by Americans to President Bush's speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS
Abraham Lincoln, the Democrats continue to amaze by once again saying the wrong
things at the wrong times. Whether it's Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle
blasting Bush at the beginning of the war with Iraq or countless Democrat
congressmen echoing the media's assessment that the U.S. military was bogged
down after a week and a half of action, the Democrat protests have been met with
scorn, and yet they keep going. One has to wonder if the Democrats have truly
gone off the deep end. It's one thing to complain about a controversial issue,
but it's quite another to raise questions about actions which the public
wholeheartedly supports.
President Bush's speech aboard the Abraham Lincoln resulted in the ultimate
highlight reel: Bush landing on the carrier in full flight suit, being embraced
and cheered by the military personnel, and speaking with a picture-perfect
background of sky, ocean, and sailors. Yet, last week, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
called for an accounting of the cost of President Bush's speech on the USS
Abraham Lincoln. In addition, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) took to the Senate floor
blasting the same speech.
Sen. Byrd called the President's speech on the Abraham Lincoln an "affront
to the Americans killed or injured in Iraq." Byrd went on to say that the
aircraft carrier was used as "an advertising backdrop for a presidential
political slogan."
"I believe that our military forces deserve to be treated with respect and
dignity, and not used as stage props to embellish a presidential speech,"
Byrd added.
On the same day, Rep. Waxman sent a letter to the General Accounting Office
calling for an investigation of the costs involved in the President's visit to
the Abraham Lincoln. In the letter, Waxman claims that the Bush Administration
provided "conflicting accounts" of the reasons for the
"dramatic" visit to the aircraft carrier by jet.
Waxman states in the letter that since the carrier was closer to shore than
originally reported, President Bush could have traveled to it "less
theatrically." Waxman closes the letter by calling for a full accounting of
costs associated with the trip since it was "paid for by American
taxpayers" and had "clear political overtones."
Clear political overtones? If these Democrats knew anything about politics, they
would let this story go. Every time a Democrat complains about Bush's speech,
the footage of his carrier landing and "Top Gun" demeanor are replayed
for an audience who already loved it the first time.
Waxman also implies that traveling to the carrier via helicopter would have been
somehow more appropriate for the commander-in-chief. Waxman claims he is
concerned about costs, yet by suggesting that a helicopter would have been
better reveals that Waxman didn't even know that the operating costs of the
appropriate helicopter (H-60) and the jet used (S-3B Viking) are virtually
identical.
Responding to questions about Sen. Byrd's comments, White House Spokesman Ari
Fleischer said that the President was "proud of the way he did it and he's
proud he did it."
"I think it does a disservice to the men and women of our military to
suggest that the President of the United States, or the manner in which the
President visited the military would be anything other than the exact
appropriate thing to do. And I think that the 5,000 sailors on that ship
recognize this for what it was -- the President going out there to say thank you
to those who risked their lives," Fleischer added.
Responding to Rep. Waxman's letter to the GAO, Fleischer said, "There's not
a Republican that Congressman Waxman doesn't want to investigate, and so I just
dismiss that as not serious."
If the Democrats have a strategy, it seems to have been crafted by Karl Rove
rather than James Carville. The more they open their mouths, the more they help
the Republicans. A senior Republican official told me last week that he hopes
the Democrats will "continue down this path." He added that their
actions "will backfire on them." I agree. Hopefully, the Democrats
will keep talking all the way to the next election.
Bobby Eberle is President and CEO of GOPUSA (www.GOPUSA.com), a news,
information, and commentary company based in Houston, TX. He holds a Ph.D. in
mechanical engineering from Rice University.
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