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I "think" I saved this from a DU post...so, whoever wrote it...Thank You! It comes in very handy at times like THIS!
If Wes Clark's opponents want to call him a republican because he once praised the defense team Bush had assembled and praised Bush for his handling of the war in Afghanistan, then we have a lot of republicans masquerading as democrats:
Tom Daschle: Shortly after the swearing in Senator Lott and I called the 107th Congress to order so that we could confirm the first seven of President Bush's cabinet choices. This was easy work as President Bush has done an excellent job with his cabinet selections. On Saturday, we confirmed Secretaries Colin Powell (Secretary of State), Paul O'Neill (Treasury), Ann Veneman (Agriculture), Don Evans (Commerce), Rod Paige (Education), Spence Abraham (Energy), and Don Rumsfeld (Defense). I met with almost all of these nominees in the previous weeks and I am enthusiastic about the chance to work closely with them."
Biden said this about Powell, during the confirmation hearing: "Without question, General Powell's experience at the highest levels of government and the conduct of foreign and defense policy and his experience in managing large organizations makes him well qualified to be secretary of state."
Biden, after Powell gave presentation to the Foreign Relations Committee: "I am proud to be associated with you. I think you did better than anyone could have because of your standing, your reputation and your integrity as it is understood by our European friends as well as others around the world."
Rumsfeld and Powell were confirmed handily, with little debate. While Rice did not require confirmation, she was an informal advisor to Democrat Gary Hart during his presidential bid and her appointment received praise from both democrats and republicans.
Gephardt, From a June 2002 VOA article: "In a wide-ranging speech in which he sounded very much like a presidential candidate, Mr. Gephardt praised President Bush's handling of the war in Afghanistan.
The Democratic rebuttal from House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt virtually echoed Bush's address. In a show of support, Gephardt did not argue a single one of Bush's points and even
praised the tax cut.
Gephardt: "I want to commend the president for his strong and patriotic message tonight."
Rep. Rick Larsen, D: "The president deserved a gold medal and a victory lap for the war on terrorism."
Howard Dean: "George Bush is, I believe, in his soul a moderate." and added about those thinking that Mr. Bush's presidency would be a one-term one, "that is going to be a mistake."
Dean, September 2002, regarding Bush on Hussein's WMD:Dean, who now argues that he saw through Bush's charade from the beginning, said at the time, "I don't think he really has to prove anything. I think that most Americans, including myself, will take the president's word for it."
Joseph Lieberman: ...But he praised Bush's creation of a new multilateral, value-based foreign policy in response to the attacks. He cited Bush's Sept. 20 congressional address as an example of the President asserting his leadership.
"The people and the president face extraordinary challenges," he said. "Both have risen superbly."
...Lieberman praised Bush for being unyielding in his challenges to other nations and unflinching in his demand that they assist the fight against terrorism.
The two also appear divided on the Bush team's recent foray into the Israeli-Palestinian issue. On Sunday, Daschle said he did not have "any problem with what the president is doing in the Middle East now that he is engaged."
Pelosi also praised President Bush's "leadership" in supporting Sharon, whom the president declared to be "a man of peace."
Joseph Kennedy (former Mass. senator), praising Bush at the Justice Department ceremony: "Your strength since Sept. 11 has been a profile in leadership. You deserve the thanks of all who are committed to freedom from fear, and for all of us as Americans, we stand behind you and with you at this time," he said.
Sen. Edward Kennedy on Bush nominee Rod Paige: "Rod Paige comes to us highly recommended."
Sheila Jackson Lee, Democrat, on Paige: "I wish to tell you that he is a man committed to excellence, an educator who believes every child can learn and every child can succeed. Dr. Paige knows diversity in our community. Our children enjoy coming to school, they enjoy the classrooms... We feel safe when we send our children to school."
Andrew Cuomo, a democrat who ran for governor of NY: Bush "exemplified leadership at a time when America was desperate for a leader. He deserves credit, as do congressional Republicans, for recognizing the challenge of 9/11 and rising to it. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, there was chaos. We handled 9/11 like it was a debate over a highway bill instead of a matter of people's lives."
Former U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright, Democrat: ...praised President Bush on Wednesday for pulling the nation together after last week's terrorist attacks, but warned "the hard part is coming."
Wright, a Democrat, had kind words for Bush's speeches to the nation after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. He said the Republican president's speech at a Washington prayer service Friday was "the best I've seen him give."
Tom Harkin, 2001: The administration's farm policy language was similar to proposals by Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Tom Harkin for up to $50,000 a year in conservation payments to farmers. The Iowa Democrat said he was pleased the administration "is focused on promoting conservation."
Daschle: On ABC's This Week, Tom Daschle called Condi Rice's thin answers to his questions "very helpful" and said they contributed to "constructive dialogue." Then, he said he was ready to work with the White House to draft a Senate resolution, ostensibly one that would authorize use of force, and may hold a vote on it before adjournment next month.
Biden: Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, said he would work with Helms to move the nomination quickly. "At the present time, I foresee no problems," Biden said, calling Powell "a man of great integrity."
Carl Levin, D-Mich., ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee called Rumsfeld "a strong choice."
Senator Evan Bayh, Democrat of Indiana, the new chairman of the DLC, on Bush's budget speech: "I think we have a real opportunity to make bipartisan progress." He praised Bush's support for education and a patients' bill of rights, and added, "I wholeheartedly endorse the President's call for major tax relief to get the economy moving again.
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As you can see, there are many well-known leading democrats who had praise for President Bush or his nominees prior to September 2002. I did not include statements by Zell Miller, who truly is a republican in democratic clothing.
Democrats are foolish to bash other democrats who praised Bush, because it puts the "failure" on the democrats instead of where it truly belongs--on Bush. Democrats who praised Bush and his defense team early on weren't republicans in disguise; they weren't foolish--they were simply being fair and honest, which is what we democrats do. Cheney and Powell were both well-regarded for their work during the first Gulf War. Rice had excellent qualifications and was very respected. It is a mistake to think democrats and republicans are like cats and dogs and that their natural reaction toward one another should be one of enmity.
The focus should not be on whether democrats once, in the spirit of fairness, praised President Bush, who did indeed receive tremendous admiration from the populace for how he responded to September 11. The focus should be on how President Bush misled people. He pretended to be compassionate; he claimed he was "a uniter, not a divider." He claimed that he did not believe in nation building and that our military would be used in self-defense. He claimed that the Iraq War resolution was to be used to secure the peace, not considered a green light to go to war.
Bush is at fault and so is his defense team who have supported a neocon agenda and work hard to prop up his weak case on Iraq and who choose to aide Bush in his work deceiving the people.
In 2001/2002, there are many many people who were open-minded, willing to take Bush at his word (I confess, I was not one of them). Given his still high approval ratings, it's clear that many Americans do not see Bush as the threat many of us now see him to our country and to the world.
By the way, does anyone think Bush is actually a democrat because he praised Ted Kennedy in 2002?
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