Democrats sink to new lows this campaign season
By Carol Devine-Molin
web posted March 8, 2004
Bush campaign ads that fleetingly depict Ground Zero and a flag-draped stretcher
are generating Democratic charges of "exploitation" of a national
tragedy. Several weeks ago, President George W. Bush donned a racing jacket
and presided over the opening of NASCAR's Daytona 500, which similarly drew
Democratic criticisms of "exploitation" of racing fans. Does anyone
see a trend emerging? Frankly, this Democratic shtick of ranting about GOP "exploitation" is
becoming both stale and predictable. Are the Democrats going to feign righteous
indignation every time the Republicans engage in successful outreach to the
public during this campaign season? Well, I sure hope so – It would
clearly demonstrate that the Democrats are a bunch of churlish whiners.
The Democrats are carping about the Bush ads for one simple reason – They're intent on undermining President Bush's well-deserved reputation as leader par excellence in this post-September 11th world. If the Democrats think that they're going to silence the appealing message of President Bush's outstanding leadership in the aftermath of the terror attacks, then they're sadly mistaken. In fact, the concept of leadership is seen by many as the pivotal issue for this campaign season. Frankly, there is no way that we can ignore September 11th in this campaign since it's the defining event of the Bush presidency and reflects the overall zeitgeist of the early 21st century.
The Left-leaning crowd also cites emotional discomfort on the part of a few September 11th families that were "offended" by the Bush ads, but in truth the complaining individuals are long-time Democratic activists, according to Fox News Channel's Tony Snow. There is now evidence linking these disgruntles with "Peaceful Tomorrows" a group associated with the Tides Center and funded by Theresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Democratic candidate John Kerry. These handful of activists were obviously well-coached, and were greeted with opened-arms by the liberal mainstream media this past week. They were not about to be challenged by elite media types who are clearly in the corner of the Democrats.
In response, about a dozen September 11th families (22 people) released a letter supporting President Bush and his use of images from the ravaged World Trade Center, which states: "In choosing our next leader we must not forget that day if we are to have a meaningful conversation." Personally, I've viewed the ads in question while watching the various political talk shows, and as someone who resides in the NYC suburbs and lost a dear friend and political mentor in the Twin Towers on that "Day of Infamy", I don't find anything offensive about them. Rather, I find the ads extremely appropriate, and I thoroughly agree with one firefighter who referred to them as "inspirational". My understanding is that the TV ads are polling quite nicely, and President Bush has vowed to continue to address the salient impact of September 11th upon this nation.
The Democrats, with John Kerry as their "number one (Senate) liberal" at the vanguard, falsely portray President Bush and his supporters as deranged "neocons" bent on war for the thrill of it, or for oil, or for any number of idiotic reasons. The attending Leftist big-lie is that the terrorist threat is greatly exaggerated by the Republicans. These geniuses maintain that we haven't been hit again on American soil simply because there isn't much of a terror threat. Mind you, their twisted thinking totally fails to take into consideration the diligent efforts being made by American authorities each and every day to thwart terror attacks, and President Bush's steadfast focus upon the safety and security of this nation. It's rather revolting to hear Democrats spew gobbledygook – specifically, that the terror threat is no more than a GOP campaign ploy, and one which utilizes demagogic tactics aimed at scaring Americans into voting for President Bush. To listen to Senators John Kerry and Ted Kennedy (Tweedledum and Tweedledee) on the campaign trail, President Bush is engaging in "unadulterated fear mongering" on the issue of terrorism. What Kerry, Kennedy and others of their Leftist ilk are saying is unconscionable.
Tell that to the Russians who regularly experience terror assaults from the al-Qaida-aligned Chechens who bombed a Moscow metro (subway) several weeks ago, killing approximately 50 individuals and injuring over a hundred. In October 2002, Chechen terrorists took control of a crowded theater by means of suicide-bombers – The Russian authorities have a strict "no negotiations" policy with terrorists . The use of incapacitating gas by the Russian officials was intended to prevent the hostage-takers from triggering explosives devices, but resulted in the deaths of over 120 people and numerous hospitalizations. Americans should be cognizant that Russia has been hit again and again by the Chechen terrorists that are radical Islamists with integral ties to al-Qaida. Almost 300 people died and more than 600 were injured as a result of terrorism in Russia in the year 2003 alone.
The terror war being waged against Russia is not a separate and distinct phenomenon – It represents another front, another manifestation in this global "war on terror". Just imagine if major American cities had to contend with suicide-bombers and terror attacks upon apartment buildings, shopping centers, music festivals, theaters, buses and subways as the Russians have endured. How lucky we are to be spared such trauma! All Americans need to wake up and familiarize themselves with the manner in which al-Qaida is terrorizing other parts of the globe that are not as well-safeguarded as America. And we should be grateful to President Bush for his outstanding job in preventing any recurrence of terrorism on our nation's soil since September 11th, which is a significant accomplishment that cannot be underestimated.
Senator Hillary Clinton is another Democratic politico that speaks with forked-tongue, and attempts to be on all sides of an issue just like her comrade John Kerry. Hillary Clinton is on record as being both for and against the Iraq War, and she even tried to glom onto some credit, averring that the Clinton administration left President Bush with a well-oiled military to fight the "war on terror". Yeah right, it was cut in half, and demoralized beyond belief by the anti-military Clinton gang, which consistently used the military as a cash-cow to help cut the budget deficit. As noted by author Rich Lowry in his book Legacy, "The military roughly declined by half in the 1990s, with the Army getting sliced from eighteen divisions to ten and the Air Force from thirty-six fighter wings to twenty (a total of fifteen wings were used just in the first Gulf War). Whenever the Clinton administration bragged about reducing the deficit or the federal workforce, it was effectively talking about how it had cut the military". Despite Senator Clinton's claims, it was really President Bush and his team that magnificently revamped and retooled the military for this current global "war on terror".
As many political analysts have underscored, President Bush might very well
be a victim of his own success. Since Bush has efficiently staved off terror
strikes on American home soil, it provides his political adversaries with
an opportunity to pooh-pooh and minimize the threat of terrorism. Clearly,
the Democrats will continue to manipulate the truth and demonize President
Bush with alacrity for their own political aggrandizement during this campaign
season. 
Carol Devine-Molin is a regular contributor to several online magazines.
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