South Dakota Politics

Daschle: war started under false pretenses

According to a report in the Aberdeen American News, Senator Tom Daschle told reporters on Friday that the Iraq war was "started under false pretenses." Is Daschle saying that President Bush deliberately lied to get this country into a war? Daschle listed two of the "false pretenses":

1) There were no weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent danger; and

2) There was no link between Hussein and the al-Qaida terrorist groups that attacked the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001

Okay. Eviscerating the first claim is simple enough: Bush never said that WMD posed an imminent danger. He said in his 2003 State of the Union address that we can't afford to wait for Iraq's WMD to become an imminent threat. See this post at Instapundit.

The jury is still out on the second claim.

The bottom line: this is yet another example of Tom Daschle's "Kerryitis."

UPDATE: Blogger Gerry Daly points out that the Clinton Justice Department brought an indictment against Osama bin Laden, claiming, among other things, that Osama and the government of Iraq had reached an understanding "that al Qaeda would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al Qaeda would work cooperatively with the Government of Iraq."

Steyn's latest mentions Herseth

Mark Steyn has a new piece about the Daily Kos blog, published in the UK Spectator (registration), headlined "Murderous Rhetoric." Excerpt:

You can find anything on the Internet if you look hard enough. But not many website wallahs who exult in the murder of American citizens are as well-connected as Mr Zuniga. He claims his site is ‘the most popular political weblog with over three million monthly visits’ and boasts of his access to Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The Daily Kos carries advertisements from Democratic congressional candidates around the country, including incumbents — North Dakota Congressman Earl Pomeroy — and challengers — South Dakota Democratic House candidate Stephanie Herseth, who raised $21,000 in one day on Zuniga’s site.

Via LGF. As Ryne McClaren notes, Stephanie Herseth is still taking donations from a site whose operator exults in the murder of American citizens.

Daschle tries to evade Kerry, Byrd

This photo was taken on March 11, 2004.

UPDATE: Speaking of Senator Daschle and Senator Byrd, see the latest post at Sibby Online about George McGovern's announcement kicking off his 1980 campaign in Mitchell. Besides Daschle and Byrd, David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, was also on the scene that day.

Poll comparison

According to a paragraph from a March 17, 2002 report by David Kranz, the dean of South Dakota political reporters, John Thune led Senator Tim Johnson in the polls 49% to 43%. Senator Johnson, of course, went on to win that race by 524 votes. Comparing the March 2002 poll to the latest poll in this year's Daschle v. Thune race is illuminating. The latest poll, published last week, and conducted on March 27 and 28, shows Daschle leading Thune 48% to 43%, numbers that look remarkably similar to the numbers in March of 2002. So if history is any guide, John Thune will overcome Daschle's lead and squeak out a victory, much as Tim Johnson did to Thune in 2002.

Dodd-gate morphing into Daschle-gate?

I'm back. Sorry, I didn't realize I'd have access to the internet. Happily, I do. Anyway, see the latest:

Andrew Sullivan has coined the term "Dodd-gate" to describe the uproar over Senator Chris Dodd's remarks praising Senator Robert Byrd, an old segregationist. The remarks are reminiscent of Senator Trent Lott's remarks about Strom Thurmond that eventually toppled Lott from his leadership post. Byrd "would have been right during the great conflict of Civil War in this nation," said Dodd.

Now Tom Daschle has leapt to Dodd's defense, according to a story in today's Washington Times headlined "Dodd praise for Byrd hit by GOP." Excerpt:

Sen. Tom Daschle said there was "no parallel" between Sen. Christopher J. Dodd's praise of Mr. Byrd and Republican Sen. Trent Lott's praise of former segregationist Sen. Strom Thurmond.

The piece continues:

But Mr. Daschle of South Dakota said Mr. Dodd's speech was not comparable to the remarks that cost Mr. Lott his leadership post.

"I wasn't on the floor when Senator Dodd made his comments," Mr. Daschle told reporters yesterday. "I don't know what he said. But I would think even he would tell you there's no parallel."

Why is Tom Daschle injecting himself into this? Making these statements only jeopardizes his leadership position.

Gone til the weekend

Heads up to SDP readers: I won't be posting again until the weekend. Meanwhile, read this excellent piece at DVT about Winner, SD, a place where many of my relatives come from.

Daschle on ads: It's the first thing that pops into my mind

DVT discusses a piece that appeared in Roll Call today headlined "South Dakota Reality TV;
Daschle Has Advertised Steadily While Thune Stays off the Airwaves." Excerpt from the Roll Call piece:

Daschle has been on television almost continually since July 2003; in that time he has run 11 different campaign commercials, an effort that has cost him roughly $1 million. Daschle has spent nearly $10 million total on his re-election effort since 1999.

Thune has yet to run a single ad since formally entering the race at the beginning of the year, and his campaign said no immediate plans are in the works to take to the airwaves.

Interestingly, a 1991 Washington Post piece reveals how Tom Daschle thinks primarily in terms of political ads. The piece, dated November 26, 1991, and headlined "On Capitol Hill, Symbols Triumph;
Substance Suffers Amid Frustrating Fiscal Pressures, Political Fears" contains the following quote from Tom Daschle:

"I dare say the first thing that comes to my mind in a vote is: Can it [the issue] pass the 30-second test, how successful will my opponent be in applying it to a 30-second ad? It's a screen that comes up whenever there is a vote," said Sen. Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.).

The Senate and tort reform

The AP has a report headlined Senate GOP Tries to Curb Medical Lawsuits." Excerpt:

Senate Republicans are trying for a third time to persuade Democrats to curb medical malpractice lawsuits and help alleviate what proponents of limits call a health care crisis....

Republicans on Wednesday will try to overcome a Democratic blockade on the medical malpractice legislation. Senate Republicans and President Bush have argued that the measure - which would set caps on damages - could help reduce unnecessary lawsuits that make it harder for doctors to practice. They've said the lawsuits drive up obstetricians' and emergency room doctors' insurance costs....

The bill is supported by the American Medical Association and the American Insurers Association. Both are longtime GOP allies who argue that frivolous lawsuits drive up insurance premiums for doctors. In several states, obstetricians have said higher insurance bills are forcing them to stop delivering babies.

But trial lawyers - longtime Democrat allies - oppose the bill. The Association of Trial Lawyers of America is fighting caps on damages, alleging that insurers' poor returns on investments are largely responsible for the premiums' increases. The group also argues that state-imposed caps on damages do not lead to drops in premiums.

Opponents of the bill also filed a complaint against Frist, a heart surgeon, for participating in the debate since his family founded the HCA hospital chain and its subsidiary malpractice insurer, Health Care Indemnity.

Last weekend, Tom Daschle conveniently glossed over the fact that he leads the effort to oppose tort reform when he was confronted on the issue by a constituent. Trial lawyers are Tom Daschle's biggest campaign donors. And Tom Daschle will lead the effort to kill this latest reform measure today.

AP story on Indian Country

The AP's Carson Walker has a "new" piece headlined "Republicans Eye American Indian Vote" that looks suspiciously similar to a piece published a month ago headlined "GOP eyes American Indian vote in traditional Democratic stronghold." The new piece contains one important passage that the old piece did not:

Daschle is by far South Dakota's most powerful politician, with three terms in the Senate and more than eight years as the Senate Democratic leader. His leadership position has brought immense clout to this rural state of about 750,000.

Daschle couldn't write a better script for one of his ads than that. The Argus Leader refused to publish the old piece, sans the the Daschle ad script, when it came out a month ago. I guarantee that the newly revised piece, containing the paragraph above, will be published in tomorrow's edition of the AL.

UPDATE: Indian Country Today recently published a piece headlined "In South Dakota, Senate may again depend on Indian vote."

Would the Daschle campaign characterize this as an attack on Bill Frist's family?

Hugh Hewitt plugs entire Dakota Alliance

The intrepid Hugh Hewitt once again links to the Dakota Alliance and adds some analysis of the situation on the ground in South Dakota.

Sioux Falls radio talk show host Greg Belfrage, also no slouch in the intrepid department, occasionally finds time to blog in his busy schedule.

Herseth still hasn't rebuked Kos

Ryne McClaren has a list of all the Democrats who have publicly withdrawn their association with the liberal blog Daily Kos due to Kos' unsavory comments about the barbaric murder of Americans in Fallujah. The list includes John Kerry. This list does NOT include Stephanie Herseth. Her silence is a scandal.

A Democratic congressional candidate in Ohio has also pulled her ad from Daily Kos.

So John Kerry delinks from Daily Kos, but Stephanie Herseth, a self-described conservative Democrat, still has a link to Daily Kos on her website. A Herseth clone in Ohio has publicly pulled her ad on Daily Kos, but Herseth cynically hunkers down, hoping the media in South Dakota won't sniff around this story, and that it goes away. Sadly, that's most likely what will happen.

Powerline has more HERE and HERE. Also, see Hugh Hewitt's observations. And Professor Volokh's.

Hugh Hewitt links to SDP

Hugh Hewitt has declared John Thune week on his show, and has linked to SDP on his blog, as well as to DVT. Thanks, Hugh. Of course, we can't forget another member of the Dakota Alliance, Sibby Online.

And for you Watertown readers, be sure to listen to Hugh's show on AM 1480 KSDR.

Daschle's dissonant statements on Iraq

See Tom Daschle's statement on the Senate floor last Thursday, when he said the following, according to a column in USA Today:

"Americans stand together today and always to finish the work we started and bring peace and democracy to the citizens of Iraq."

Then, the very next day, in a conference call to reporters back home in South Dakota, Daschle said the 180 degree opposite, in the context of OPEC's cut in production levels:

''If that's the thanks we get for doing what we have done in the Persian Gulf these last several years, then I think we ought to re-evaluate whether or not our presence there is something that's in our national interest[.]''

(Emphasis added.) So is it in our national interest to have a presence in Iraq, or not? With Daschle, the answer to that question depends on how many points he can score politically in a given situation.

Powerline: Daschle is finished

John Hinderaker, formerly of Watertown, SD, has some fresh analysis on the Daschle-Thune race that's worth a read: "Daschle In Trouble." Instapundit also has some thoughts on the "Daschle in trouble" meme.

UPDATE: Powerline also has a post linking to DVT's latest tour de force regarding Daschle's campaign stop in Madison on Saturday.

New York Post editorial

A New York Post editorial published yesterday points out Tom Daschle's thoughts regarding recess appointments five years ago and compares them to his thoughts on the subject today. The piece is headlined "Daschle's Duplicity." Excerpt:

Indeed, says Daschle, "I don't blame the president for being frustrated and having lost patience. . . . The president acted, and I'm glad he did."

At least that's what he was saying five years ago - when Democrat Bill Clinton was the one making recess appointments, allowing him to bypass Senate confirmation of his federal judicial selections.

How time flies.

Now it's George W. Bush - stymied by Senate Democrats' refusal to allow many of his nominees even to come up for a vote - using the recess-appointment tool, and Daschle is singing a different tune.

In fact, Daschle said last weekend that he and his Democratic colleagues have decided to block each and every one of the president's judicial nominees unless Bush promises not to make any more recess appointments.

DVT, as always, has more.

WaPo on Giago

The Washington Post has a blurb today on Tim Giago's independent bid for the U.S. Senate headlined "Daschle Gets His Own Nader." Incredibly, the WaPo reporter misses the fact that Tom Daschle personally called Tim Giago to urge him to get out of the race, a fact which is at odds with Steve Hildebrand's quote in the blurb:

Steve Hildebrand, Daschle's campaign manager, rejected suggestions that Giago's effort would necessarily hurt the senator's bid. "Native Americans know that Senator Daschle has been there for them," he said. "They're not just going to throw their vote away on someone who stands little chance of winning."

So why did Tom Daschle personally call Tim Giago and ask him whether he wanted John Thune to be the next senator from South Dakota? Clearly, the Daschle camp is highly concerned that Native Americans are going to vote for Giago. When Daschle does his get-out-the-vote effort on the reservations, he has to worry about whether he's getting votes out for Tim Giago.

Daschle has it both ways on tort reform

Senator Tom Daschle has a troubling, baffling and disappointing habit of saying one thing in South Dakota and its 180 degree opposite in places like San Francisco and Washington, DC. DVT points out a quote Tom Daschle made in Renner, SD yesterday during a campaign event, as reported in the Argus Leader:

Ron Hefty of Hefty Seed Co. in Baltic said he favors tort reform. He also said one factor leading to high health care costs is that doctors are greedy. Daschle said a big issue is that doctors have to pay "way too much" for insurance.

So when Daschle is face to face with a small business owner in South Dakota who favors tort reform, Daschle doesn't take the opportunity to explain the fact that he not only opposes tort reform, he LEADS the opposition to tort reform. Trial lawyers, who fight tort reform tooth and nail, are Tom Daschle's biggest contributors. To paraphrase a comment made by a Chamber of Commerce official a few years ago (which can be found by clicking HERE and scrolling down to the headline "Trial lawyers give $500,000 as legislation heads to Senate floor") Tom Daschle knows that while the trial lawyers have lots of money, the small business community in South Dakota has a lot of votes. So, instead of explaining his opposition to tort reform, Daschle tries to sound like a Republican on the issue, telling Mr. Hefty of Baltic what he wants to hear.

But what Daschle says is different from what he does. Six weeks ago, Tom Daschle led a successful filibuster of a bill that would have reduced the excessive burden the liability system places on the delivery of obstetrical and gynecological services. Last summer, he spoke at the opening plenary of the Association of Trial Lawyers of American convention held in San Francisco, in the wake of successfully filibustering another tort reform measure in the Senate.

Once again, Tom Daschle is trying to have it both ways, this time on tort reform.