Posted on 06/24/2005 7:01:31 AM PDT by texas_mrs
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - A White House official said Friday the administration finds it "somewhat puzzling" that Democrats are demanding presidential adviser Karl Rove's apology or resignation for implying that liberals are soft on terrorism.
"I think Karl was very specific, very accurate, in who he was pointing out," communications director Dan Bartlett said. "It's touched a chord with these Democrats. I'm not sure why."
Congressional Republicans earlier joined the White House in standing solidly behind Rove, saying he shouldn't apologize and that he was outlining a philosophical divide between a president who sought to win the war on terrorism by taking the fight to the enemy and Democrats who questioned that approach.
The controversy, fought out in hearings, floor speeches and news conferences Thursday on Capitol Hill, was the latest of several highly contentious battles that have soured the already highly partisan atmosphere.
Earlier this week Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., apologized after being hit with a chorus of attacks from Republicans about comments in which he compared detainee treatment at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the actions of Nazis and other repressive regimes.
Rove, the architect behind President Bush's election victories, on Wednesday night told a gathering of the New York Conservative Party that "Liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers." Conservatives, he said, "saw the savagery of 9/11 and the attacks and prepared for war."
He added that groups linked to the Democratic Party made the mistake of calling for "moderation and restraint" after the terrorist attacks.
Bartlett, appearing on morning news shows Friday, said that Rove was referring in his talk to Moveon.org, a liberal group that has been identified with movie producer Michael Moore.
"It's somewhat puzzling why all these Democrats ... who responded forcefully after 9-11, who voted to support President Bush's pursuit of the war on terror, are now rallying to the defense of Moveon.org, this liberal organization who put out a petition in the days after 9-11 and said that we ought not use military force in responding to 9-11," Bartlett said on NBC's "Today" show. "That is who Karl Rove cited in that speech ... There is no need to apologize."
Appearing on CBS's "The Early Show," Bartlett said that Rove was "just pointing out that MoveOn.org is a liberal organization that didn't defend or accept the way that we prosecuted the war in the days after" the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington.
Bartlett told interviewers that he didn't understand why Democrats "are throwing up such a huff."
Sen. Charles Schumer (news, bio, voting record) of New York, in a letter to Rove co-signed by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Democratic senators from Connecticut and New Jersey, called the presidential adviser's speech "a slap in the face to the unity that America achieved after Sept. 11, 2001."
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Thursday there was no reason for Rove to apologize because he was "simply pointing out the different philosophies when it comes to winning the war on terrorism."
"Of course not," McClellan said when asked by reporters whether Bush would ask Rove to apologize.
Democrats said Rove, and his Republican allies, were now trying to change the subject when Democrats, and many Americans, are becoming increasingly critical of the course of the war in Iraq.
For Rove "to try to exploit 9/11 for political purposes once again just shows you how desperate they are," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who in recent days has been the target of Republican attacks for saying that the Iraq war was a "grotesque mistake."
I'd love to see Durbin come out on the Senate floor and demand an apology
...now that would be the height of lunacy.
"I think Karl was very specific, very accurate, in who he was pointing out," communications director Dan Bartlett said. "It's touched a chord with these Democrats. I'm not sure why."
HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!
Bartlett, appearing on morning news shows Friday, said that Rove was referring in his talk to Moveon.org, a liberal group that has been identified with movie producer Michael Moore.
"It's somewhat puzzling why all these Democrats ... who responded forcefully after 9-11, who voted to support President Bush's pursuit of the war on terror, are now rallying to the defense of Moveon.org, this liberal organization who put out a petition in the days after 9-11 and said that we ought not use military force in responding to 9-11," Bartlett said on NBC's "Today" show. "That is who Karl Rove cited in that speech ... There is no need to apologize."
Yeah, it is puzzling. {snicker] Ah, I love our Administration.
So, tell us Chuckie. Hillary. Kerry. Why ARE you rallying to defend moveon.org? Why DOES Michael Moore sit next to Jimmy at your convention? If you are such strong supporters of the troops, why would you associate with these people? Accept money from them? Accept their political services?
It's because these dysfunctional people think of themselves
first as liberals (oh, it hit home) and only secondarily as
Democrats....but they can't discern any distance between the two.
LOL! PLEASE don't go in that briar patch, Brer Wolf, PLEASE don't.
The point being, however, is that democrats try to have it both ways. They undermine our war effort. Yet, the second you point that out to them, they say things like "you are questioning our patriotism" or "you can't group us with moveon.org and other groups, we are not liberals." Well, Rove did say liberals and the democrats did react. I love the White House approach here, stretched a bit it might be, but nonetheless, the dems instantly lept when Rove said "liberal." Oh, and if you hear Rove's speech, I do believe he did mention moveon.org.
>>>Oh, and if you hear Rove's speech, I do believe he did mention moveon.org.
He did mention it, but even most of the well informed folks here at FR failed to pick up on that fact. If one reviews the posts in these Rove threads one gets the impression that they believe he is referring to Democrats in general and not just Moveon.org.
O.K. "DICK" Turban.
I'm sure Pelosi learned the phrase "grotesque mistake" at an early age, having heard her parents mumble it under their breath any time she was around.
THANK YOU KARL ROVE!!! HIT' EM AGAIN, HIT 'EM AGAIN, HARDER, HARDER!!!!!
That's the line of today as far as I am concerned. You just help polish off a great week, thanks.
Funny that Mr. Rove talked about 'liberals,' and the Democratic leadership rose up to squeal about it. He might as well have said '5th columnists, sunshine patriots, and carpetbagger demagogues,' and the same crowd would have stomped their self-identifying feet.
I think, perhaps, I did not make my point clearly. Most of the well imformed people here at freerepublic know damn well that Moveon.org and Michael Moore speak for the democrats. To a freeper, when Rove mentions moveon.org, we instantly associate it with the dems.
But, the dems want to perserve an illusion. Namely, they want Dean and Moveon.org to put forth their wild views on a regular basis. Meanwhile, the democrats try to maintain plausible deniability by claiming they have nothing to do with Moveon.org or Michael Moore, something that is patently absurd. Look at Hillary, for example.
Along came Rove and made the absolutely correct statement about how "liberals (moveon.org)" are approaching the war on terror. What happens? The democrats react faster than you can count to three. But wait, I thought the democrats were different from moveon.org and Michael Moore. Today, the White House spokesman takes the same approach, only highlighting what we already know. Ther is NO difference.
The illusion is gone. Rove's approach was artful and genius. The democrats have no more cover. They are firmly associated with moveon.org, even the ever careful Hillary Clinton.
Hehehe. No, that should be "rope," Dan, not "chord". It rhymes with "dope".
Way ta go White House. Karl was right, right, right. As for the whiny dem/libs they are all bellyaching right now because if I may borrow a line from some movie..."They can't HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!"
So what? I mean what follows from your whine? If Rove's remarks were clear, correct and cogent -- as they were -- why should he be responsible for any delay, inadequacy or (in the case of 'Rats) unwillingness to understand them? Why should the 'Rats be exonerated, even partially, from blame for their baseless attacks just because a few others made similar (if less intentional) mistakes.
Furthermore a coordinated attack, such as the 'Rats are mounting, is the result of considered strategic decisions by professional politicians. And their attack has been prosecuted on the floor of congress and in comments and questions during official hearings. This is hardly comparable to off-the cuff comments by bloggers and bulletin board users.
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