Saturday, March 9, 2002
By Kyle Williams© 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
"Clearly we've got to find Mohammed Omar, we've got to find Osama bin Laden, and we've got to find other key leaders in the al-Qaida network or we will have failed. The continued success [of this war] is still somewhat in doubt."
The above quote was stated by our illegitimate Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D.
"There may be support, in general, for the president's request for defense, but somebody has got to ask tough questions," Daschle later said on "Meet the Press." And, of course, he's the one to ask those "tough" questions.
"I think there is expansion without at least a clear direction to date," he went on to say, "Before we make commitments and resources, I think we need to have a clear understanding of what the direction will be."
Two words: Bush Doctrine.
I don't know how many times I've heard the president say this, but just to remind Sen. Daschle, we can go over the Bush Doctrine again. President Bush basically states that if you are a terrorist, you hide a terrorist, you feed a terrorist, you harbor or protect a terrorist, then the United Sates will bring you to justice. That's a pretty clear direction to me.
However, despite the fact that I support the war now, I haven't given unconditional support for the war on terror. All aware citizens must pay attention to the direction this war is taking and the actions thereof.
Yet, for those of you have no patience or memory of Sept. 11, like Daschle, then you obviously will question the direction of our war because it takes time to bring terrorists that are hiding in dozens of countries to justice. There are terrorists in Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, to name a few, and to find those terrorists and bring them to justice is going to take more than six months. But "the continued success is still somewhat in doubt," right, Sen. Daschle?
Daschle's comments started a fury throughout the GOP. House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, called his comments "disgusting." Bush defended himself against Daschle's comments while on a campaign trip in Iowa. Said Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, "How dare Sen. Daschle criticize President Bush while we're fighting our war on terrorism. …" In addition, many more of the Republican leadership criticized Daschle and his statement.
Yet, amid the fury – and while Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., defended the Senate majority leader and stated that the GOP shouldn't blast him – Daschle found it all rather comical. "I think the Republicans' reaction is nothing short of hysterical," Daschle told reporters. "I'm amused, frankly." Well, I'm glad you had a laugh.
The same South Dakota Democrat criticized the direction of Operation Enduring Freedom the last week, then went on to praise the president's leadership the next week and then declared that the Senate "stands united with the president in the ongoing effort to destroy al-Qaida."
"I think that on occasion it is important for us to speak with one voice in support of our troop efforts, and we're looking for an opportunity to do that," said the Senate majority leader. Sounds like Daschle is a little bit fickle.
I think Daschle's statements this month have been nothing short of hysterical and, frankly, I'm amused. I guess the senator's poll numbers dropped. A complete turnaround in one week! He, as he always does, licked his finger and stuck it up in the air to see which way the wind was blowing.
While there are still bodies being recovered at Ground Zero in New York, Daschle is playing this political game with our war. But, just for Tom, we can go over it again so he will know what direction this war is taking.
The war is against terrorism, and there are terrorists in dozens of countries across the world. We have to gather intelligence, create a battle plan and speak with other countries before we attack. This takes time and patience – something the Senate majority leader doesn't have.
It will be interesting to see what the honorable Democrat from South Dakota has to say next week.
Kyle Williams is 13 years old, home-schooled and lives in a rural community in America's heartland. His column title, "VERITAS," is Latin for "truth." He particularly enjoys following current news events – and writing about them – and is extremely interested in politics. Kyle believes he may one day have a career in journalism. For now, he offers his unique perspective to the readers of WorldNetDaily.
