Last week I mentioned how encouraging it was to see Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) speak out so frequently and fervently on a variety of issues in which he disagrees with the White House. Today I’d like to extend a similar thanks to Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.).
On its face, this may seem silly. Daschle is the Minority Leader, a champion of Dem causes throughout his career, and a respected voice in the Senate. Of course I would appreciate his service and single him out for praise.
The truth is, however, that it isn’t that obvious.
Daschle is a moderate Dem from a conservative state. As the party’s leader in the Senate, he’s struggled, at times, to maintain a semblance of unity between the Dems’ various ideological factions. More importantly, with his constituents’ obvious discomfort with liberalism, Daschle has voted, on many occasions, with the GOP on legislation that’s important in South Dakota. For example, in just this Congress, Daschle backed Bush on a controversial energy bill, legislation to protect gun manufacturers from lawsuits, and a ban on so-called “partial-birth” abortions. (He also voted for the Iraq war resolution in 2002.)
His moderation has led not only to frustration among rank-and-file Dems, but also to talk of replacement as the Dem Senate leader. Five months ago, for example, Kos published a controversial missive saying it was time to give Daschle the boot from his leadership post.
The GOP has been able to maintain ideological purity, in large part, by choosing leaders from safe districts in the heart of their “base.” Lott, Frist, and DeLay have never had to compromise the party’s message or tactics for the sake of personal electoral gain. They could wake up with the proverbial live boy or dead girl and still get reelected the following cycle. Even Hastert, from blue state Illinois, hails from a solid GOP district.
The Dems, on the other hand, are handicapped by having Daschle and Reid in command. Both senators are perpetually vulnerable, requiring them to subjugate the Democratic Party agenda in favor of their own parochial interests. I have always been a fan of Daschle and admire the guy. But, he can’t focus on running the party’s Senate operation. He needs to look out for himself first. And, hailing from a red state, his interests will often conflict with the party’s wider message.
Which is all the more reason to highlight how great Daschle has been recently.
The circumstances would seem to suggest that Daschle has to be very careful right now. He’s in the fight of his life against a well-known and well-funded opponent. Worse, Daschle is up for re-election in a conservative state in a presidential election year. Bush beat Gore in S.D. by a whopping 23 points in 2000, and there’s no reason to believe Kerry is going to do any better. (South Dakota has backed the GOP presidential candidate in each of the last nine elections.)
And yet you wouldn’t know it by watching him. Daschle hasn’t been pulling any punches or lurching to the right to appease anybody. He’s been telling it like it is and playing hardball. Daschle has been acting like, well, like the Senate Minority Leader should.
On Friday afternoon, Daschle made one of the most aggressive Dem threats against the White House since Bush took office.
Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) warned President Bush yesterday to expect more trouble with confirmation of judicial nominees unless the White House provides “assurance” of a more bipartisan approach in handling all nominations.
Daschle told the Senate he was particularly disturbed by Bush’s use of his power to appoint judges during congressional recesses, especially nominees blocked in the Senate, and by the president’s refusal to accept Democratic choices to serve on bipartisan boards and commissions.
In a strongly but carefully worded speech, Daschle stopped just short of vowing to block further Senate action on judges unless Bush relents, but he clearly hinted it is a leading option.
“We will continue to cooperate in the confirmation of federal judges, but only if the White House gives us the assurance that they will no longer abuse the process,” Daschle told the Senate, referring, aides said, both to the recess appointments and to rejection of people chosen by Democratic leaders for Democratic slots on government boards and commissions.
Good for Daschle. The White House’s recess appointments were an outrageous abuse, and the administration’s handling of judicial nominees in general has been atrocious. Daschle, disregarding Bush’s popularity in his home state, drew a line in the sand. If you want to keep it up, Daschle effectively told Bush, we have the votes to make things very difficult.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Daschle has been showing off his intestinal fortitude of late.
Also last week, Daschle delivered a hard-hitting speech challenging Bush on his handling of the war on terror in general, and al Queda in specific.
What did the Bush Administration do before September 11 to defeat Al Qaeda?
During the nearly nine months it took the Administration to develop and sign off on its terrorism strategy, it does not appear the Bush Administration took any decisive or effective action to cripple Al Qaeda. Perhaps the most potentially significant action the Administration took prior to September 11 was in May 2001. At that time, reportedly in response to an increase in “chatter” about a potential Al Qaeda attack, President Bush appointed Vice President Cheney to head a task force “to combat terrorist attacks on the United States.” But, according to The Washington Post and Newsweek, the Cheney Terrorism Task Force never met. The American people need to know whether this is true.
Moreover, this statement followed another blistering speech Daschle delivered on the Senate floor, this time on the White House “attacking good people for telling the truth.”
The purpose of government isn’t to make the President look good. It isn’t to produce propaganda or misleading information. It is, instead, to do its best for the American people and to be accountable to the American people. The people around the President don’t seem to believe that. They have crossed a line–perhaps several lines–that no government ought to cross.
We shouldn’t fire or demean people for telling the truth. We shouldn’t reveal the names of law enforcement officials for political gain. And we shouldn’t try to destroy people who are out to make country safer.
I think the people around the President have crossed into dangerous territory. We are seeing abuses of power that cannot be tolerated.
I’m not sure what’s gotten into Daschle, but whatever it is, I hope he keeps it up.