I Thought Tony Snow Was Smart?

I was halfway to expressing my rage over the Boxer / Rice dust up, having heard it discussed on talk radio, without having heard a clip. A quick glance of the blog headlines fueled me on. Trouble is, I had the misfortune of actually listening to the exchange here via Hot Air.

No fan of Boxer, her comment was dumb, but feeding into talk radio and hyperbolic blogging nonsense by mischaracterizing it just to attack Boxer, or score insider political points, isn't going to advance the correct cause.

Married or single, with children, or without, good American's have felt the emotions of losing precious lives in war from our founding right up until today. It is ultimately the enemies we have faced down that made those sacrifices worth bearing. And Boxer's approach presents a perfect opportunity to expose the emotional, yet, ultimately superficial approach most anti-war Democrats have embraced as a means of undermining this war.

To see Tony Snow feeding the hype, as opposed to conveying the message the White House needs to convey right now, totally disappoints.

“I don’t know if she was intentionally that tacky, but I do think it’s outrageous. Here you got a professional woman, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Barbara Boxer is sort of throwing little jabs because Condi doesn’t have children, as if that means that she doesn’t understand the concerns of parents. Great leap backward for feminism,” Snow told FOX News Talk’s Brian and The Judge.

The above is precisely the kind of insider bickering that keeps the talking heads chirping. However, this debate is now moving past political junkies, to the public at large. And the White House needs to begin to address them intelligently, not in the heated rhetoric of a purely political fight.

The White House can set the tone of our nation's political discourse.  That tone needs to be broad, it needs to acknowledge the great sadness we all feel because we are risking the death or injury of many wonderful men and women ... but we are doing it for a cause ... and we absolutely must win. They have to stop the petty bickering that only divides and consistently hammer home the message that our enemies in the Middle East are dangerous ... we must fight them now, and in Iraq, especially. It's only when Americans come to realize that, that we'll finally succeed.

Americans in general will understand that message and take it to heart. If the Bush administration has had a tremendous problem outside of Iraq, it has been their communications strategy all along. If more Americans understood the clear nature of the threat we are facing and the role Iraq has in confronting it, the country's support for this war might not be so much in doubt.

As for which DC insider has children, or not, or which one cares more about some soldier they've never met .... frankly, I don't think the average American cares about that cat fight at all. And dwelling on it isn't going to make them care about it, vote for somebody, or choose the right side in the debate we're currently having on the war in Iraq.

Comments

[Sensible Mom]

Actually, I disagree. For years, the White House's response to vicious, negative attacks, if they had any at all, has been high-minded. It got them nowhere and made Bush look like he didn't have a backbone. Certainly I don't think Snow or anyone else representing the White House should get into name calling but putting Boxer in her place, for once, and defending Rice was appropriate.

Boxer's comment was totally inappropriate and an extension of the silly chickenhawk argument, and if you watch Rice's reaction to it you know Rice understood exactly what Boxer implied.

[Enlightened]

A witless grandmother, liberal, old woman attempts to publicly denigrate her superior.

1)Can't denigrate her sex (It's against the liberal orthodoxy to denigrate women in any manner)
2)Can't denigrate her race (It's against the liberal orthodoxy to denigrate a person's race)
3)Can't denigrate her intellect (Her superior is intellectually superior)
4)Can't denigrate her appearance (It's against the liberal orthodoxy to denigrate a person based on appearance)
5)Can't denigrate her wealth (Her superior is not as wealthy, and it is against the liberal orthodoxy to denigrate those of lesser wealth)

Alas, the grandmother's last avenue of attack without being utterly, politically incorrect is the liberal "moral authority" of motherhood. (Of course we cannot inlcude the millions of children murdered very year by liberal mothers all over the world - again its the "moral authority" banner, all for the "children")

Do not assume for a nanosecond that little old granny Babs did not know exactly where to insert the knife. If she had no intention of denigrating the Secretary - she need not have qualified her statement of "my children too old, grandchildren too young" by following with an obvious comparison to the Secretary's childless state.

[TCinLA]

You guys do such a wonderful job of proving the value of homeschooling in producing illiterate morons who can't understand what they read.

Have any of you actually READ the transcript. CAN you?

I swear, if you halfwits didn't exist we'd have to make you up, for the comedy of watching little boys who get chased home from school every day try to prove what "heroes" they are.

So, who's headed for the recruiting office to go put your ass where your mouth is?

Fucking cowards.

[grandmatini]

Ok idiots. Politics is business. People who think that their value is defined by how high they can get within their business do extremely stupid things (which are usually thought to be genius by some other idiot higher up the food chain) to get ahead. What's that old saying? Any publicity is good publicity? Here was a female politician trying to make a name for herself at the expense of a woman connected to an idiot regime. Kind of sad because I think Condi is probably a really bright woman who is just aligned with the wrong "White Guy". Oooooh, did I say that out loud? And for the record, I am whiter than white.

[Gunny]

Senator Boxer, although fundamentally valid in her pointed frustration, was more of a grand stander in addressing Secretary Rice. Who pays the price; was her banter, but what exactly was her point? Why was she acting like she was engaged in caring for the concerns of our countries patriots. Where was Senator Boxer when terrorism was known throughout the eight years of the Clinton Presidency? This is not simply a matter of winning freedom for Iraq. If we can not launch operations from a friendly ally in the Middle East we are going to be in deep trouble when Iran and Syria escalate the threat; and ‘yes’ they will escalate the threat. We need an ally in that geographical location if we want the ability to react when threatened by Middle East extremist.

My heart breaks for those in harms way; and the children and loved ones who suffer. However, we do not honor or help them by tearing our country apart in political debate. If Boxer really wanted to help the situation she would need to find a way to unite this country; a campaign that spurs this nation towards a collective stand. Terrorism is not going to go away… even the President stated, during the early days of 911, that this fight will be ours, our children’s, and our children’s children, to fight. Wake up! ‘Career politicians;’ this American feels you are a part of the problem.

It is time for senators and congressmen to quite running for office while using the Presidency as a scapegoat. They need to do a better job supporting this country. We are at war and politicians need to take up arms against the enemy; not wage war against their own countrymen. Our governing officials should be helping the enlistment efforts; after all, they are also paid to serve. I am tired of their aristocratic pedestals and feel its time they start earning that fat pay check, benefit package, and ‘pork feed’ job security.

Why would any elected official point out the fact that other nations are holding back their support? Get real… this nation has always given more towards the pursuit of world freedom; that is what sets us apart. Wake up! It is time to quit filling the media with pessimistic commentaries that only weaken our countries posture; if the world has no respect for us, the congress, senate, and every condescending American is responsible.

It is my prayer that a shift of spirit and resolve will sweep upon this great nation so that every American will realize the need to get involved and support efforts towards global stabilization. If a past mistake needs to be mentioned it should be the failure, after 911, to involve the public. Telling Americans to go about their business as usual was a mistake. In stead, Americans should have been instructed in ways to become involved; much like the efforts during World War II. Failing to involve every American was the biggest mistake.

Do not waste our time, Senator Boxer, with your unprofessional outbursts, aimed at the heart strings of Americans. These are the times when the tough need to get tougher and we ‘all’ need to get behind the efforts to stop the insane ‘world violence' that will, if not dealt with, bring this great nation to its knees. Make no mistake, all you on the hilltops of society, it is not the warriors, or their families, that do a disservice to this nation; instead, as Senator Boxer alluded, it is those that do not have any vested interest or are not choosing to “Pay the Price.” In World War II the home front united and collectively sacrificed to win; where is that commitment now?

God Bless America
Gunny