Searching for the Democrats - The National Security Rap

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/searching-for-the-democra_b_16010.html


Searching for the Democrats - The National Security Rap

It's become axiomatic that the Democrats don't have their act together. Despite a series of Republican screw-ups voters are unimpressed with the Democratic alternative. This is the third of six articles exploring why Dems are having a tough time taking advantage of Bush Administration ineptitude. This focuses on the issue of national security, the rap that Democrats can't protect us.

While national politics is frequently bewildering, the last eighteen months has seen a truly paradoxical trend: increasing numbers of voters believe that President Bush is mismanaging the occupation of Iraq. Nonetheless, they remain convinced that he is doing a good job on national security. The February 10th Gallup Poll finds that only 38 percent approve of the way Bush is handling "the situation in Iraq," while 54 percent approve of his stance on "terrorism," the only parameter where his approval rating is over 50 percent.

Whenever things start to go badly for Republicans, the Bush Administration pulls out their wild card--the fear of terrorism--that trumps whatever the Democrats have going for them at the moment. It's important to consider this phenomena, because it tells us a lot about what the Republicans are doing right and the Democrats are doing wrong. And, it's more than a political consideration, as it affects our national security. The truth is that the Bush White House has done a dreadful job defending America--if they had intentionally set out to foment Jihad and weaken our defenses, they could not have done a better job rendering the US vulnerable to terrorist attacks.........

How do Republicans manage to turn their massive screw ups into perceived accomplishments? The answer has three parts: First, the Bush Administration takes full advantage of Presidential press power. Second, the GOP massages the divisions within the Democratic Party, uses them to feed the perception that Democrats are weak on national security. Finally, media focus on Iraq swamps news about homeland security......