Howard Fineman of Newsweek must have sensed the political ground shifting beneath him in the wee hours Thursday morning, with news of the arrests of two sleeping motorists at a rest stop in Maryland. The men, John Muhammad, 41, and his 17-year old companion, John Lee Malvo, were wanted for questioning in connection with the D.C. sniper killing spree which had terrorized the Washington area for weeks and had drawn worldwide media attention.
"I have a question for the president as the sniper's murder toll reaches 10 in our region," huffed-and-puffed the veteran political writer in a special piece for MSNBC, headlined Sniper crisis demands more from president.
That was 2 days before Thursday morning's dramatic developments, marking the beginning of the end of a case featuring tarot cards, cryptic messages, ex-FBI profilers, ballistics, death, mayhem, fear.
Addressing the President, he demanded to know "why in this crisis haven't I heard more from you and seen more action from your crime-busting, terrorism-fighting White House?" The President, he said, is more than just aloof. Bush's 'silence' is deliberate strategy, cynically orchestrated by evil Karl Rove & Co., to avoid discussion of gun-control mere days before crucial midterm elections.
It was clear what Mr. Fineman was up to: He was callously laying the groundwork to blame the President, in the run-up to November, for the 'failure' to apprehend the serial Beltway sniper(s).
Democrats were frustrated that wall-to-wall coverage of the deadly sniper attacks had sucked the oxygen out of the election season and thwarted their "message" to voters.
With most polls showing popular support for military action to oust Saddam Hussein, Democrats earlier this month had decided to cut their losses on Iraq. 'Let's just get this vote over and done with', they thought. 'The sooner we do, the sooner the spotlight shifts back on domestic issues and away from Saddam and the War on Terror.'
Then came the Beltway shooting spree, grabbing headlines and dominating the news since October 2nd, when a .223 caliper bullet struck the windows of a Michael's craft store in surburban Montgomery County, seriously wounding a man.
Mr Fineman was hoping to motivate struggling Democrats: 'Hey boys and girls, let's face it: The sniper story isn't going away, not any time soon -- not until they catch the perp(s). But fret not, my fellow Democrats, for I've got a plan: Why not turn tables on the White House? Tar the President with the sniper brush by making him look captive to the 'gun-lobby.' Say it's been weeks, (weeks!) and still no sign of the Beltway sniper(s). What's going on? Wasn't this White House supposed to excel at this stuff -- homeland security, etc? The nation's capital is under attack, for Pete's sake, and still no action from the President! What's he doing?! Try to *Carter-ize* Bush, start a count-down, a la, it's now day 19, and still no sign of the shooter ... it's now Day 20, and still no sign of the shooter, etc....
'P.S. Take this ball and run with it, my fellow Democrats. Sure it's cynical, sure it's sleazy -- but trust me: It'll ride you to victory in November! Yipee!'
Then came Thursday morning, video of FBI agents combing the grounds of a duplex in a working-class neighborhood 3,000 miles from the Beltway, removing a tree stump, visiting Bellingham High, checking Fort Lewis. Then the arrests. Ballistics tests linked a Bushmaster AR-15 found in the assailants' car to 11 of the 14 shootings.
Howard Fineman doesn't just have egg on his mug.
The sniveling, whining, pathetic cry-baby clown has sausage, ham, eggs, bacon, grit and a stack of pancakes on his face.
Now Democrats are faced with the worst of all worlds: The sniper's been nabbed, before the elections, people are celebrating, victory's in the air.
Wanna be a millionaire overnight? Sell underwear and Aspirin in front of DNC headquarters.
Democrats desperately wanted to make the election a referendum on Ken Lay, Enron, Arthur Andersen, Bush, Cheney, Halliburton. Instead, with merely 11 days remaining, the balloting likely becomes a referendum on John Muhammad, Muhammad Atta, Islamic terror, 9/11, Iraq, success in the War on Terror.
Hats off to Chief Charles Moose and the hundreds of local and federal agents who worked heart and soul throughout.
The usual 'turf wars' were nonexistent. The coordination among law enforcement agencies -- federal, state, local -- was simply superb, a shining example of the right way to do it.
As for the election campaigns...
Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend keeps putting her foot in her mouth. The deadly spate of recent sniper attacks in the Washington area were just the ticket to help her sputtering campaign -- or so she thought.
Her cynical attempt to exploit the killing spree, however, had yielded little tangible benefit politically, perhaps even backfired, as a new poll would indicate.
The survey, by Gonzalez/Arscott Research and Communications Inc., shows her GOP challenger, Congressman Robert Ehrlich, ahead, 46%-45%. Though the difference falls within the poll's margin of error, Dems are flummoxed that Townsend never gained any traction out of the murders, despite the heavy barrage of venomous attack ads all but accusing Rep. Ehrlich of being the D.C. sniper himself.
Indeed, the Townsend blood-dance, if anything, inadvertently opened up a can of worms, with recent revelations that hundreds of gun purchases were made earlier this year without criminal background checks, required by Maryland law.
What happened? No money for enforcement, thanks to Gov. Glendening and his lieutenant sidekick, better known as Dumb and Dumber (with apologies to Dumb and Dumber).
The embarrassing disclosures are just the latest in a string of brilliant misteps.
For a Democrat, blowing a double-digit lead in heavily Democrat Maryland is no minor achievement, but somehow Townsend manages.
Another major headache for Dems: Bush's non-stop, 17-state push to bolster GOP candidates in the homestretch to E-Day.
Bush's sustained popularity has Democrats worried -- so worried, in fact, that Party officials these days are acting more and more like stalkers, running nasty broadcast ads everywhere the President goes. Heck, it's gotten so bad that Bush can't visit a restroom without Terry McAuliffe stalking closely behind. (Well, not really, but you get the picture.)
Attendance at Bush's political rallies routinely exceed expectations, rivaling throngs seen during presidential election campaigns.
Bush coattails at the ballot box this November could spell disaster for Democrats, with Republicans keeping control of the House (already widely expected) and -- the Big Enchilada -- regaining control of the Senate, lifting obstructionist Dashcle's bullheaded blockade on Bush's legislative agenda.
In the Florida Governor's race, Democrat Bill McBride keeps slipping. A new Mason-Dixon poll has Gov. Bush gaining momentum, opening up a 5-point lead over the millionaire Tampa Bay trial lawyer, 49%-44%.
There was little doubt Bush had the upper-hand in Tuesday night's debate, the final televised square-off of the campaign.
It was another 'Class-warfare' debate -- a debate mostly focused on reducing class-size in public schools, and how to pay for it.
McBride, marionette puppet of the state's teachers' unions, came off as a drooling buffoon: Incoherent, inexperienced, inarticulate -- at times confused, even. And terrifically uninformed.
It's hard to believe McBride even lives in Florida. Does this guy live in Walt Disney World, perhaps? My Aunt in New York knows more about Florida issues.
Gov. Bush, in contrast, was witty, sharp, quick on his feet -- displaying an impressive, even masterful, command over a broad range of issues.
McBride, if I may be so bold to predict, will never recover -- not after that 'magnificent' performance in Orlando.
A week ago, analysts mostly expected the closely-watched contest would likely go down-to-the-wire. Far fewer now do. It's easy to see why.
In the Missouri Senate race, Republicans are increasingly hopeful.
Democrat incumbent Jean Carnahan botched both televised debates this week, coming off as halting, uncomfortable, defensive. Her answers were weak and unfocused.
Jim Talent, her GOP challenger, gave the opposite impression. During both face-offs, he appeared confident, in command of the facts, lucid and assertive.
On the campaign trail, Talent is a natural. He relishes the glad-handing and can work a crowd with the best of them. But more than just a better campaigner, Talent connects with people far better than Carnahan.
That the Jefferson County native had represented the 'Show-me' State in Washington for 16 years can't hurt, either.
In South Dakota, Democrat incumbent Tim Johnson is on the ropes. The latest polls give GOP Rep. John Thune the edge, though within the margin of error.
A mushrooming scandal in the state over voter registration fraud has put Democrats on the defensive. As damaging evidence mounts, Sen. Johnson's reelection looks increasingly shaky. Even Daschle was forced to enter the fray, lashing out at Rep. Thune this week in a bid at damage control.
Too little, too late.
I smell victory.
Anyway, that's...
My two cents...
"JohnHuang2"
