Testing the 9/11 anniversary messages
Posted: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 12:11 PM by firstread
Filed Under:
First Thoughts, Security
While most eyes have been focused on the still-recovering Gulf Coast during the first half of this week, the Bush Administration has been dispatching some of its biggest names in national security to test September 11 anniversary messages before military audiences, including the veterans' conventions that are held at about this time every year. On Monday, for example, Vice President Cheney told the Veterans of Foreign Wars that while other countries have been hit, Bush's anti-terror policies have protected the United States from another terrorist attack since September 11, 2001.
It's within this larger context that Defense Secretary Rumsfeld asserted yesterday, at the American Legion's annual convention, that critics of the Administration's Iraq and anti-terror policies are trying to appease "a new type of fascism." He also called Iraq the "epicenter" of the war on terror, illustrating the fine line Bush and his officials are trying to walk on this topic as Bush is now saying he never suggested that Iraq was behind the September 11 strike. When NBC's Brian Williams pointed out in his interview with Bush yesterday that Iraqis were not the attackers, Bush said, "They -- they weren't -- no I agree, they weren't Iraqis, nor did I ever say Iraq ordered that attack, but they're a part of -- Iraq is part of the struggle against the terrorists... I personally do not believe that Saddam Hussein picked up the phone and said, 'al Qaeda, attack America.'" Democratic operatives say they plan to hit back hard on Rumsfeld's comments today, details TBD.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played good cop to Rumsfeld's bad cop yesterday. Despite her equally prominent role in setting the Administration's Iraq policy, Rice's rare domestic address to the American Legion highlighted how she has suffered far less criticism over the war than Rumsfeld, in part because of her less confrontational style. She echoed some of Bush's words from his recent news conference, strongly defending America's role in Iraq and warning of severe consequences if America quits "before the job is done." She also said she's aware of the concern across the country about the course and future of the war, but urged Americans to stay committed to the effort, NBC's Libby Leist reports.
This series of speeches will be capped off by Bush's own address to the American Legion tomorrow. It's not the first time the Administration has used these audiences to try to send messages on national security during a campaign year. In 2004, Bush used a VFW speech to announce that he was calling for what his campaign termed as "the largest troop realignment since the end of the Cold War," though that realignment did not directly affect troop status in Iraq. At the time, the campaign claimed the "plan will strengthen the military's ability to address threats in a post 9/11 world and improve its ability to protect America." (Sen. John Kerry addressed the VFW two days later.) The Wall Street Journal says today that Bush's speech tomorrow will kick off a third round of presidential remarks intended to bolster public support for the war.
Today, Bush raises money for the Arkansas GOP and gubernatorial nominee Asa Hutchinson, his former undersecretary of homeland security and DEA chief, at a private home in Little Rock at 1:30 pm ET; the event is closed-press. He then flies to Nashville for an open-press fundraiser for GOP Senate nominee Bob Corker at 6:30 pm ET. He overnights in Salt Lake City, where tomorrow, he'll address the American Legion.
First Lady Laura Bush hits the trail for a few troubled Senate contenders. She headlines both a fundraising breakfast and lunch for nominee Mike McGavick in Washington state. Perhaps to air the issues before Mrs. Bush showed up, McGavick blogged last week on his campaign website about two "great failures" of his personal life: his divorce, which left his son with a "'part-time' dad," and a citation for a DUI "when I cut a yellow light too close in 1993." She then heads to Montana to raise money for GOP Sen. Conrad Burns, who started off looking vulnerable because of his ties to corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, but more recently has walked into the caught-on-tape buzz saw with a series of unfortunate remarks. All of Laura Bush's events today are open-press.
First Read is now off for the holiday and will return on Tuesday, September 5. We wish everyone a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.
