The Dems had issued a stern warning to nearly everyone: keep the party’s message positive and the Bush-bashing to a minimum. So it was a surprise to many that on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after the festivities began in Boston, a respected U.S. senator offered a harsh critique of the president and his handling of the war in Iraq.
In fact, this senator, generally known for being reserved and mild-mannered, was unusually blunt about his feelings. He said Bush had made a “host of mistakes” and agreed with the Dems’ rank-and-file that the war has made the United States less safe than it was before.
But the real surprise wasn’t that this senator was breaking with the Dems’ positive message; it was that the senator in question is a Republican.
Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee criticized the Bush administration on Tuesday for a ”host of mistakes” in its postwar reconstruction of Iraq, saying the country is less secure than before and that basic infrastructure is still not working.
The senator, on a tour of a Middletown company that provides security details to contractors in Iraq, said the U.S. effort will fail if the White House doesn’t do a better job of working with other countries in the region and re-engage itself in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
You know, I’ve always liked that Chafee guy. I wonder what it’d take to get him to switch parties?
In fact, just for fun, I thought I’d remind readers of this gem from a NYT profile on Chafee from March 2003:
After a while, I asked Chafee if there were any major pieces of Bush’s agenda with which he could wholeheartedly agree. He paused for about 10 seconds, with his hands pressed together prayerfully.
“It’s difficult,” he said finally. “Because he’s chosen a divisive path, and it is working for the administration. On so many issues, they just pound the wedge in.”
In other words, I suggested, he has a hard time finding even one point of agreement.
“Yes, I do,” Chafee answered, looking embarrassed.
You know what I call someone who disagrees with every aspect of Bush’s agenda? A Kerry voter.