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Bush, Democrats Get Angry

The debate between Democrats and Republicans has exploded, triggered by Bush's comment that the Democratic-controlled Senate is "not interested in the security of the American people." Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), who is famously even-tempered, exploded at the "outrageous" comment and in a red-faced blast on the Senate floor, accusing Bush of politicizing the debate. He demanded an apology from the President, which he did not get. "It sheds great doubt on what their intentions are," Daschle said. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) capped off Wednesday by accusing Daschle of undermining the war effort: "Who's the enemy here: the President of the United States or Saddam Hussein?"

Most coverage has focused on the Democratic necessity of a quick resolution to prevent Iraq from dominating the November elections, and the Republican interest in keep Iraq on the table for as long as possible to avoid embarrassing domestic issues.

The Washington Post points out that both parties have already politicized the debate. The piece mentions a memo circulated by House leaders just before Daschle's speech on the Senate floor, warning members that "Iraq is going to dominate the message environment for several weeks." The memo encouraged Democrats to keep up talk of "economic security." Curiously, it does not highlight Daschle's mention of Karl Rove's leaked presentation to Republican campaign strategists, encouraging them to "focus on war." WaPo is also carrying the full text of Daschle's flame.

Another WaPo piece picks up White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer's embarrassingly ham-fisted response to Daschle late Wednesday: "a misstatement of what the President said." The AP's Ron Fournier read back the text of the speech, and Fleischer ducked. CNN follows that Daschle then returned to the Senate floor and "said there was 'no context' in which the president could fairly question whether the Senate was interested in national security. He rejected the White House explaination... 'They're not worth the paper they're printed on,' he declared."

The New York Post commentary asserts that the Democratic explosion is a result of angst over splits in the Democratic policy, and Daschle's own Presidential ambitions.

Slate's excellent meta-coverage points out that Daschle misquoted the President, because he was relying on the Washington Post coverage. The seperate story, quotes a "senior White House official" saying that Daschle is responding to "pressure he's under from liberals." The Slate piece refers to MSNBC, who points out that Bush's speech was given two weeks ago in South Bend, Indiana and that Daschle is only just now addressing Bush's campaign rhetoric. Slate concludes that Daschle has decided that supporting the President isn't paying off politically, and they're probably right.