Daschle eats his words, and then some

[Nathan Newman]

Largely because I disagree with your assessment of Daschle.  He's a
piss-poor  public speaker but for two years, he's kept the Dems pretty solid
in blocking a range of Bush legislation and judges.  With a not terrific
hand, he's actually blocked quite a bit of the damage Bush has tried to do,
from Sutton and Estrada to ANWR to the December Bush tax cut to the
bankruptcy bill.

I think that's all pretty praisworthy in my book

As for the column, check out the Progressive Populist-- it runs twice a
month at www.populist.com :)

  ----- Original Message -----

  From: R

  To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com

  Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2003 5:57 PM

  Subject: Re: Daschle eats his words, and then some

  nathan, it's interesting how you continually put an intellectual face --
and rationale if one could call it that -- on incompetence, weakness,
corruption, failure and stupidity.   you find "reason" where there is none.
strategy among the hopeless and confused.  and sense among the senseless.
you should be writing columns for a newspaper somewhere; an embedded
journalist for the fools paradise set.

  R

    ----- Original Message -----

    From: Nathan Newman

    To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com

    Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2003 11:23 AM

    Subject: Re: Daschle eats his words, and then some

    ----- Original Message -----

    From: "RE" <earnest at tallynet.com>

    >But Daschle does seem to think that unless he apologizes he will be in

    >trouble, so he believes someone is paying attention.     It's just not

    clear

    >to me if he is being overwhelmed by public opinion's vagaries, or
allowing

    >himself to be overwhelmed in a masochistic, stupefying gesture.   In
that

    >respect I wish he'd just keep his mouth shut in the first place, rather

    than

    >say "Look at me, I'm powerful, and even I have to crumble and
apologize."

    Actually I think it was more strategic than that, laying the political

    marker that Bush had screwed up the diplomacy then signing off for the

    duration.  And he never apologized for the analysis, only for the
timing--

    which in many ways is a great way to appear to apologize while not

    withdrawing the substance of the criticism.  When things go bad, despite

    official Dem support for the troops, the GOP won't be able to then say
that

    it was really a bipartisan position.

    Daschle and the Dems are trying to have their cake (criticize Bush) and
eat

    it too (appear supportive of the troops). There may be better strategic
ways

    to do it, but I think people are overemphasizing the apology and not
enought

    the substance of the criticism.

    -- Nathan

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