Ariana Huffington on Dem response to SOTU: "MY WORST FEARS REALIZED"

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Wed Feb-01-06 05:44 AM
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Ariana Huffington on Dem response to SOTU: "MY WORST FEARS REALIZED"

It's very important to realize WHY Pelosi and Reid chose the disastrous, mealy-mouthed Kaine. According to the Wash Post (see link and longer excerpt at the end of this opening post):

Kaine, who was elected in November to become Virginia's 70th governor, is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. He won convincingly in a conservative state, and he campaigned as a fiscal conservative and spoke frequently about the importance of his faith.

For national Democrats, those messages are attractive as both parties head toward the midterm elections later this year.

And Adrianna tells us that Kaine has been seconding Bush's mantra, that it would be a "horrible message" to "cut and run." Showcasing a pro-Iraq War Christian conservative from a Red State choosing Kaine for the SOTU Dem responder is a disaster that extends far beyond the SOTU. It shows all too well the plans and priorities of the Dem leadership, and they must be opposed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-democratic-response-_b_14888.html

The Democratic Response: My Worst Fears Realized

Arianna Huffington
1/31/06

All my worst fears about the Democratic response to the State of the Union address (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/dems-pick-kaine-for-state_b_14112.html) being given by Virginia Gov Kaine were realized tonight when he completely failed to take on the president on his greatest vulnerability -- the war in Iraq. “Second guessing is not a strategy,” Bush said -- but Kaine didn’t even bother to second-guess.

Instead, he told us “together, we can do better” (I swear he did!) and that “our greatest need is to heal our partisan wounds.” Now if I can only figure out how to heal these fresh wounds on my wrists, we’ll be fine. At least, together we’ll be fine.

While Kaine was droning on, I closed my eyes and imagined Jack Murtha giving the response, someone with the authority to do much more than second guess -- to offer an alternative strategy on Iraq and the war on terror, as opposed to Kaine’s program of “service and competent management.” And I thought “competence” had gone out of vogue with Michael Dukakis.

As for the Kaine bromide, “common sense solutions to common problems” -- who came up with that one? Fire them immediately. Please.

(snip)

And here her earlier piece - her predicted "worst fears" that came true:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/dems-pick-kaine-for-state_b_14112.html

Dems Pick Kaine for State of Union Response; What the Hell Are They Thinking?

Arianna Huffington
1-19-06

(snip)

The Democrats don't seem to know what the Republicans do know: that the GOP is losing ground on its core issue of national security. That's why Bush is planning to shift his State of the Union focus away from Iraq and onto an attack on rising health care costs. And the re-emergence of the architect of 9/11 -- promising to bring further death and destruction to our door, and touting Iraq's help as an al-Qaeda recruiting tool -- can only further weaken Bush's national security standing.

(snip)

I know I've said this before and before, but the Democrats will never become the majority party until they can prove to the American people that they have a better plan for keeping us safe. And that means having someone like Jack Murtha give the State of the Union response -- someone with the authority to make the point that, on every level, Iraq is the wrong priority. And that the hundreds of billions already spent on Iraq (and the countless billions to come) would be better spent shoring up our ports, roadways, railways, securing our nuclear installations and chemical plants, and properly supporting our first responders.

(snip)

And during Kaine's run for Governor, he adopted another Bush talking point -- that it would send "a horrible message" to "cut and run" in Iraq. Could that be any further from Murtha's message that Iraq has become a civil war -- a civil war being inflamed by our continuing presence?

Maybe you are thinking -- at least those of you who have a life and missed his inaugural speech on C-SPAN -- that Kaine is a charismatic speaker who will really wow the American people. Well, he ain't. In fact, he scored so low on the scintillating speaker meter, that today's Note suggests Democrats make it a priority to get the Guv a speech tutor before the State of the Union.

(snip - be sure to read it all!)

And here is the Washington Post article reporting on the Dems' stupid choice of Kaine for the SOTU responder:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/19/AR2006011901510.html

Democratic Leaders Turn to Kaine

Va. Governor Tapped to Give State of the Union Response for Party
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 20, 2006; Page B05

RICHMOND, Jan. 19 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has been tapped by national Democratic leaders to give his party's response to President Bush's State of the Union speech on Jan. 31, party leaders said in a statement Thursday night.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) called Kaine on Thursday, and he accepted, according to the statement, also issued by Gov. Bill Richardson (N.M.), chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.

(snip)

Kaine, who was elected in November to become Virginia's 70th governor, is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party. He won convincingly in a conservative state, and he campaigned as a fiscal conservative and spoke frequently about the importance of his faith.

For national Democrats, those messages are attractive as both parties head toward the midterm elections later this year.

(snip)

Arianna is right - the choice of Kaine was not only disastrous for the SOTU response, it is a chilling revelation of the Dem leadership's stupid and destructive priorities and plans.