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12/18/2002 03:34:00 PM | Timothy Daschle needs to go. The Democrats need a leader who is willing to fight against the Republicans. And Daschle doesn't fit the bill. If this wasn't clear after the disasterous midterm elections, it should be now be clear that Daschle has been so accommodating on the Lott issue. (Turns out he may leave the leadership to run for President; successors like Senate Whip Harry Reid and Chris Dodd are already "The Note", which first reported the comments Lott made at Strom's birthday party, had this summary (via altercation): “No one seems to have noticed that pre-Hannity, Tom Daschle had to serve up as many statements as Lott.” In Notey paraphrase, a brief review of the Leaders’ Minuet: Round #1: Lott: “It meant nothing.” Daschle: “Yes, it meant nothing.” Round #2: Lott: “It was a poor choice of words.” Daschle: “Yes, it was a poor choice of words.” Round #3: Lott: “I am sooo sorry.” Daschle: “You should be.” But here's Daschle's defense, from National Journal's Hotline: On why he seemed to defend Lott in the first days after Thurmond's birthday: "I had just spoken to Senator Lott and he had apologized to me profusely and asked me to extend the apology to anyone that might have been offended ... Secondly, I didn't know at the time that this was part of a larger pattern, that he said something almost identically almost twenty years ago ... Once I understood the context, it made it all the more outrageous." On Rep. Maxine Waters' (D-CA) criticism that he should have taken a stronger stand against Lott: "She's right. There's no question. If I had known then what I know today I would have take a much harder stance right away. ... I feel much differently about it now that I have all the facts" ("Capital Report," CNBC, 12/17). Yet, Andrew Sullivan and The National Review condemned Lott before this 'pattern' emerged and before Daschle even made his first comments on the matter. (But don't buy the myth that right wing bloggers and columnists started this; Gore and members of the Congressional Black Caucus criticized Lott long before Bush, and bloggers like atrios and Josh Marshall were first on the story.) It's sad the Democrats have such spineless leadership. perma link |
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