Washington Plays Terror Plot Politics

(AP)  Senate Democratic leaders on Friday accused Vice President Dick Cheney of playing politics with terrorism and contended that voters won't buy Republican arguments that the GOP is stronger on national security.

"They've run this play one too many times," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a conference call with reporters. "The American people simply do not recognize any validity in what they're saying."

Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of political posturing.

"It sounds to me like Senator Reid is trying to accuse us of politicizing while he, himself, is politicizing the issue," said White House press secretary Tony Snow. "The comments that this administration has been making, including me, have been aimed at simply trying to get people to think seriously about, How do you achieve the goal of winning the war on terror? When you're in a war, the goal should not be how to get out. It should be how to win and then to get out."

Some Republicans suggested that Democratic rule could endanger the country.

"National Democrats are stone-cold guilty of engaging in a reckless and irresponsible pattern of neglect for the security of our citizens," said Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., the chairman of the House Republicans' campaign committee.

Democrats sought to put Republicans on the defensive on what historically has been a GOP strength — national security. The heated rhetoric came a day after the disclosure of a thwarted plot to blow up flights from Britain to the United States. Within hours of that news, each party accused the other of doing too little to deter the threat of attack.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Cheney and Senate Republicans of politicizing the issue.

"They shouldn't. We should all be uniting and be together at this point," said Schumer, the head of the Senate Democrats' campaign committee. "But if they're going to throw the political bombs on this issue, we are going to answer them loud and clear, and we believe we have the political high ground."

In a written statement, Reynolds said Democrats were sounding a "defeatist, surrender message" and catering to the party's liberal base "that prefers a flag that is lily-white to a flag that is red, white, and blue."

The nation's safety looms large as an issue in the midterm elections less than three months before the Nov. 7 contest. Both Republicans and Democrats are maneuvering for the political advantage.

On Wednesday, Cheney gave his assessment of anti-war challenger Ned Lamont's Democratic primary win over Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, an Iraq war supporter.

The vice president suggested that Lamont's victory might encourage "the al Qaeda types" who want to "break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task."

He portrayed the Democratic Party as preferring that the United States "retreat behind our oceans and not be actively engaged in this conflict and be safe here at home."

Snow said Cheney did not know when he made the call that British authorities were in the process of arresting the alleged plotters of the airplane bombing attacks. Snow said Cheney had been briefed on the plot, but the briefings did not indicate that action was imminent.

"The comments that were made after the Connecticut primary were in response to the Connecticut primary, and they were not in anticipation of a British action," said Snow, who also suggested Wednesday that the Lamont victory showed Democrats have the wrong position on the war on terror. "I can say that with absolute assurance not only with regard to me, but also the vice president."

Reid took issue with the vice president's comments, saying, "This situation isn't going well and anyone that suggests that the people of Connecticut are somehow supporting terrorists, I don't think that's credible and that's what Cheney suggested."

Democrats also criticized the RNC for e-mailing a fundraising appeal mentioning the war on terror hours after British authorities disclosed they had disrupted the plot.

The RNC blamed a low-level staffer for distributing the fundraising appeal, which the party said had been scheduled for release before news of the plot broke. The RNC said it stopped distributing the e-mail when it learned of the error.

Snow said it's unclear if Democrats and Republicans can come together and agree on the best policies to fight the war on terror.

"I don't know, in today's congressional climate whether we can do this," Snow said.

[scottj191]

I really look forward to the day that JESUS will walk the earth again and then I will smile and say I tried to tell people !

[cguss]

Headline - Bush and Sec. Kirchoff take credit for thwarting British bomb plot while the Pakistanis actually did the intelligence and the Brits did the police work. But here the capper - Bush and Kirchoff, in their zest to find more funds for the Iraq war, removed funding this year from the Dept. of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, which was developing new liquid bomb sniffing and explosive detection technology. Had the terrorists made it to the US, we would have never known what they had...now that's what you can actually thank Bush for.

[emhawks]

Regarding Cheney ( and others within/associated with the Bush adm.):
Read about: Project for the New American Century (PNAC).

[exrepublican]

Don't forget: Cheney still works for Halliburton.

[emhawks]

To cantshutup;
I agree that it's terribly frustrating when our elected representatives won't do the right thing & do not respect the will of the people who put them in office. One thing American citizens can do is vote these representatives out of office this Nov.
Then when we (hopefully) get new representatives in office, we need to write/email/call them & keep pressure on them to start impeachment proceedings against Bush & Cheney.
Something else to consider/think about: I have suspected for a long time, that if the Bush adm. wanted to capture Bin Laden they would have already done so. Just as they have captured Saddam Hussein & his (2) sons. The Bush/Bin Laden families have a connection & history together (read about The Caryle Group). I think Bush/Cheney might be afraid of what Bin Ladin would say if he was captured.

[wheresacct]

Why does the press even cover Cheney? The guy has zero credibility. A five time draft dodger, Yale flunkie, his prediction in May of 2005 that the insurgency was in its last throes, his rosy pre-Iraq war predictions, his claim he never met Edwards in the VP debate. This guy will lie/ make stuff up any chance he gets if he thinks it will help his party politically. The Bush/Cheney anit-terror policies are clearly a failure, The Taliban and Osama are still out there while we are busy nation building in Iraq. Many thanks to British intelligence for thwarting this attack.

[cantshutup]

long_rider...I agree with everything you stated, but what are citizens to do when those entrusted to represent the will of the PEOPLE won't do the right thing? I think it's clear that the Bush administration should be impeached and held accountable for their many crimes...but is it all talk? When does the action begin?

[junglered1]

* Not finishing the job in Afghanistan %u2013 allowing Bin Laden to escape and al Qaeda to splinter into hundreds of mini-cells (to Invade Iraq) %u2013 hasn%u2019t made us safer.
* Invading Iraq %u2013 a country that didn%u2019t pose a threat %u2013 hasn%u2019t made us safer.
* Invading Iraq with no plan to maintain the peace %u2013 allowing another theocracy to be installed in the Middle East %u2013 hasn%u2019t made us safer.
* Spending 300 Billion dollars on the Iraq fiasco instead of on the newest, high tech technologies for airport, mass transportation, port and chemical plant security, hasn%u2019t made us safer.
* Not implementing all of the bi-partisan, 9/11 commission%u2019s recommendations, hasn%u2019t made us safer.
* Diverting funds from programs that study new security technologies %u2013 such as ones that finds liquid ingredients for explosives %u2013 doesn%u2019t make us safer.
* Cutting terrorism funding by up to 40% to highly probable terror targets such as NYC, doesn%u2019t make us safer.
* Giving overall Port Control to the United Arab Emirates, a country known for its connections to terrorism %u2013 doesn%u2019t make us safer.
* Oil prices %u2013 having more than doubled since President Bush took office %u2013 doesn%u2019t make us safer.
* A 400% increase in worldwide terror attacks since 9/11, doesn%u2019t make us safer.
* Taking credit for foiling the latest attacks out of the UK %u2013 when we had nothing to do with it %u2013 certainly doesn%u2019t make us safer.

[emhawks]

To longrider:
AMEN----especially to #'s 2,7 & 8!! You've expressed the way I feel exactly!
The only thing I would add is that Americans need to be aware that ( within the Bush adm.) Cheney is the one who calls the shots. He is one of the main contributors to all the agony & misery we see now in the Middle East.
Cheney is a terrorist. In his own way, he is equal to Bin Ladin or any member of the Iraq insurgency. He has no conscience.

[long_rider]

This article is about nothing. The politicians are arguing amongst them selves to achieve public favor, just eye wash. I get so tired of Democrats this, and Republicans that. There is much to be done to help the American people, but nothing ever gets accomplished. If big business wants something, everyone breaks their back to get it for them.

If the Democrats and Republicans really want to get together and accomplish something:
1. Work on social security, and Medicare.
2. Impeach Bush, and the co-president.
3. Resolve the Iraq issue, by providing direction and leadership.
4. Repeal some of the laws that have eroded the constitution (homeland security act).
5. Enforce immigration laws.
6. Shore up the laws so future administrations cannot thumb their noses at congress, like this administration has done so many times.
7. Pass laws that GET BIG MONEY OUT OF OUR ELECTIONS, AND POLITICS PERIOD.
8. Release all video tapes showing a Boeing 757 hitting the Pentagon.
9. Repeal the bankruptcy law that was passed; go back to the old law.
11. Eliminate these huge tax breaks for oil companies.

I am sure that there is enough serious work for Washington to do. The fact is if the politicians help the American people they will not have to worry about keeping their position.