Posted on 02/08/2006 11:55:50 AM PST by MikeA
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday accused Republicans of "playing the fear card" of terrorism to win elections and said Democrats cannot keep quiet if they want to win in November.
The New York Democrat, facing re-election this year and considered a potential White House candidate in 2008, said Republicans won the past two elections on the issue of national security and "they're doing it to us again."
She said a speech by presidential adviser Karl Rove two weeks ago showed the GOP election message is: "All we've got is fear and we're going to keep playing the fear card."
In that speech, Rove suggested Republicans can prevail in 2006 by showing Democrats had undermined terrorism-fighting efforts by questioning Bush's authority to allow wiretapping without getting court approval first.
Clinton said a convention of United Auto Workers that Democrats should not be afraid to question Bush's handling of the war.
"I take a back seat to nobody when it comes to fighting terrorism and standing up for national homeland security," she said.
Referring to fugitive al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, Clinton said, "You cannot explain to me why we have not captured or killed the tallest man in Afghanistan."
She added, "Since when has it been part of American patriotism to keep our mouths shut?"
White House spokesman Ken Lisaius responded: "It sounds like from reports that the political season is certainly starting early for some."
President Bush, he said, wants to address rising health costs, energy costs and the war in Iraq in a bipartisan way "and keep the political bomb-throwing to a minimum."
Clinton also said the Bush administration was allowing U.S. manufacturing to wither away and that the only way for workers to protect those jobs was by electing Democrats.
She was cheered by the auto workers, a few of whom shouted, "Hillary for president."
The bulk of her 30-minute speech focused on economic issues and the troubled U.S. auto industry, which is losing market share to foreign manufacturers and bracing for tens of thousands of layoffs.
Clinton said the administration has not done enough to keep America globally competitive. She urged a new long-term effort by the government and private oil companies to fund research and development, particularly in energy-saving technologies.
Speaking to an enthusiastic Democratic crowd that increasingly sees jobs moving overseas, Clinton said Thailand should not be granted access to the U.S. auto market.
The U.S. is in negotiations with Thailand on a trade pact that might eliminate or reduce a 25 percent tariff on trucks made there.
And does Hillary REALLY want to tell New York State, the state hit the hardest on 9-11, that we have nothing to fear from terrorists and that Bush and the GOP being vigilant in fighting terrorism is just fear mongering? This hag would be the first to attack Bush if she ever saw the slightest sign he wasn't doing enough to combat terrorism, and the first to call for his impeachment if God forbid we were ever attacked again.
Thank you God for giving the Republican Party such wonderfully inept political foes.
HA! What a laugh. Republicans don't have to play the fear card. The Democrats are already scaring the voters! The majority of voters know that the Dems are unserious about national security, which makes the prospect of them governing so frightening!
Hillary says 9/11 was an illusion. DOH! LOL
The biggest fear we have is Hillary.
Hillary is the "What Me Worry" candidate.
If Hillary would take the "back seat" the vehicle would tumble over backwards from her wide-load weight.
I'm afraid she's wrong.
I can see it now. Somebody will put "that" recent picture of Hillary from the SOTU address on a playing card.
Oh, we could explain it to you, you just wouldn't have a phocking clue what we were talking about.
They're boxed in.
"You cannot explain to me why we have not captured or killed the tallest man in Afghanistan."
As a U.S. Senator, she has access to the president and is free to make suggestions to him as to what could be done differently to capture bin Laden. Every Dem in Washington does, let's hear something from them besides criticism.
How quickly dems forget.. and amazingly enough, this from a senator from a state that lost ~3,000 of its own..
Explain to me, Hillary, why your "husband" turned down Sudan's offer to have his head on a silver platter.
I was pretty fearful when the basement of the World Trade Center exploded after I walked out of the tower and was about to grab some lunch a block down the street.
It's too bad Hillary never said anything stupid>/i>
Guess you may want to read the article before posting Newbie. Perhaps Hillary can explain why despite 8 years in office, her Husband did NOTHING about "the tallest man in Afghanistan"?
Since World War II.
***
--- about Madame Hamhock's weight distruibution, please.
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