I don’t think Karl Rove has sufficiently thought through the politics of this one.
The Bush administration urged an appeals court Wednesday to overturn a judge’s order awarding nearly $1 billion in Iraqi money to 17 Americans taken prisoner by Saddam Hussein’s government during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Attorneys for the POWs, who were tortured and starved, countered that the award — to be paid from Iraqi government assets frozen in this country — in no way threatens the rebuilding of Iraq, taking issue with the central argument of the administration.
I think I understand the administration’s line here, but it comes across as terribly offensive.
The Department of Justice is insisting that “reparations” for the tortured Americans can be worked out later, after Iraq is more stable. Fine, but that’s not what the POWs and their attorneys are arguing. All they want is a ruling that affirms the lower court ruling and acknowledges that they are owed damages. They’re more than willing to collect later.
Ret. Col. David Eberly, who was held by the Iraqis for more than 40 days, said the government’s effort to void the ruling is disappointing.
“Today, the argument boils down to the fact that the government simply wants to say ‘thank you very much for your service and now go home and live forever the horrors and the memories of your captivity and the torture that went on,'” he said. “I think that’s unjust.”
Can’t say I blame him.
And not only is the administration’s position troubling on an ethical level, it couldn’t be a bigger political loser. Democrats and Republicans in Congress are already teaming up to fight the White House on this.
It’s not often that Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) and Democratic Sens. Harry M. Reid (Nev.) and Patty Murray (Wash.) find themselves on the same side. It’s probably just as rare that staunch Democratic Reps. John Conyers Jr. (N.Y.), Howard L. Berman (Calif.) and Gregory Meeks (N.Y.) find themselves joining the senators and using the conservative Washington Legal Foundation as their lawyers.
But there they all were on WLF’s brief filed in federal appeals court here in opposition to the administration’s effort to overturn nearly $1 billion in damages awarded to 17 American servicemen tortured as prisoners of war by Saddam Hussein’s regime after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
What do you know; maybe Bush is a “uniter” after all.
Post Script: As I’ve talked about probably too many times, the “military vote” may be unpredictable on Election Day. I don’t imagine veterans are going to look kindly on the administration’s efforts in this case. As John Kerry likes to say, “The real test of patriotism is how you treat veterans and keep promises to people who wore the uniform.”