Bush could never lie as well as Democrats

By Trevor Bothwell
web posted June 14, 2004

For two years now George W. Bush's detractors have accused
the president of politicizing the War on Terror. Liberals claim
Bush has told "lie after lie after lie after lie" to the American
people to drum up support for a war "made up in Texas" solely,
it seems, to help his reelection chances.

Contrary to the rhetoric of many of the president's critics --
which has reached outlandish proportions -- not only is it absurd
to believe President Bush would sacrifice American lives for
selfish political gain, but you'd have to be a nitwit to think a
president could sail to reelection more easily in a time of war
than one of peace.

Which is why the prevailing opinion and actions among leading
congressional Democrats is so disconcerting.

For starters, that Ted Kennedy actually has the nerve to show
his face in public -- let alone pound a podium in the Senate while
attacking the character of President Bush -- should give pause to
anyone concerned with the direction the Democrat Party has
headed today.

And Sen. John Kerry, whose constant flip-flopping on political
issues would be comedic if not so potentially serious, is defended
by supporters for his "nuance" and commended for being "at
ease with complexity." Apparently it takes a complex mind never
to have to worry about being held to consistency by your
constituents.

Even Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, who has acquired a
reputation over the years for supporting the military, seems to
have become addicted to the art of abandoning principle if it
means gaining approval from the nation's top liberal Democrats.

Steny Hoyer -- who supported the Clinton administration in
seeking regime change in Iraq; who was one of the few
Democrats to vote in 2002 for the use of force to oust Saddam
Hussein; and who has voted to provide funding to support our
Iraq policies -- has now cut and run from his previous positions
of support now that the going has gotten tough in Iraq.

According to The Enterprise, a local newspaper in southern
Maryland, Steny Hoyer sharply criticized President Bush's
postwar handling of Iraq at a recent luncheon. Rep. Hoyer
reaffirmed his vote for the $87 billion package to fund our troops
and Iraqi reconstruction, but he nevertheless accused Mr. Bush
of making the case for war by lying about the existence of
WMDs in Iraq as well as telling Americans that Iraq posed an
"imminent threat" to our security.

It practically defies common sense to have to continually refute
fabrications by Democrats, as they seemingly insist upon closing
their eyes and covering their ears to avoid acknowledging the
facts before them. But once again, it apparently bears mentioning
that intelligence agencies in the United States, Israel, and Great
Britain -- not to mention the U.N., France, and Russia -- all
maintained that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD prior to the
war. And despite what Steny Hoyer claims, President Bush
explicitly stated in his 2003 State of the Union address that Iraq
indeed did not pose an imminent threat to the United States.
Quite the opposite, in urging the American people to appreciate
the gravity of terrorism, he asked, "Since when have terrorists
and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on
notice before they strike?"

There are really only two possible explanations for the rhetorical
shenanigans on the left today: Either Democrats are not intelligent
enough to consult the White House website for presidential
transcripts or State Department records documenting Saddam's
weapons programs; or they readily insist upon misleading the
public. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I'd have to say
even they're smart enough to figure out how to do a Google
search.

It's obviously now politically expedient in an election year for
resentful Democrats to accuse the Commander-in-Chief of lies,
but it should not go unnoticed that our nation's most prominent
liberals conveniently engage in deception themselves to do so.

John Kerry has made it clear that his only consistency is his
inconsistency. And it now appears that Steny Hoyer has chosen
to place presidential politics above military morale and national
defense, adopting Kerry's position on Iraq and reversing once-
honorable decisions to deal forcefully and responsibly with
America's enemies.

As a nation mourns the passing of arguably the greatest president
of the 20th century, it would behoove us to appreciate the
significance of Ronald Reagan's determination to stare down the
Soviets, ensuring that today we would not have to face a threat
of tyranny too many of us were at the time content to accept.
 
Today we face a different, more dangerous threat. Today we
again require leaders who will rise to the task of defending our
nation and, like President Reagan, reject the conventional
wisdom of placing political pragmatism above American
idealism. But today's Democrat Party possesses few such
leaders, led by career politicians like Kerry, Kennedy and
Hoyer, who are motivated more by partisan venom than by
honesty and integrity.

Trevor Bothwell is editor of The Right Report and is a
Townhall.com book reviewer. He currently serves as press
secretary for Brad Jewitt's campaign for U.S. Congress against
Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer. Trevor can be contacted at
bothwell@therightreport.com.

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