When Democrats like Rangel were supporting the deployment of U.S. troops to places like Haiti and Bosnia, they claimed politics should stop at the water's edge. But Rangel and his cohorts are fanning anti-American flames in Europe and the Middle East by performing such a cheap political stunt at a time when our Italian allies suffered losses at the hands of terrorists and as America's commander in chief prepares to travel to London this week.
Rangel is but one of many Democrats who have stepped up their criticism of the president since the memo surfaced two weeks ago. Former Vice President Al Gore accused Bush of "deception," "weakening" America, "exploit(ing) public fears for partisan political gain," and "recklessly putting our country in grave and unnecessary danger."
Although extreme and irresponsible rhetoric such as Gore's is intellectually and morally bankrupt, it is being bankrolled by billionaire financier George Soros. Well known for channeling millions of dollars into pro-abortion and drug-legalization causes, Soros is now bullish on the Bush haters and the renewed vigor they are showing since the Intelligence Committee memo was discovered.
In the same week that President Bush instructed his point man in Iraq, Paul Bremmer, to hasten the return of sovereignty to a liberated Iraqi people, Soros gave a public relations coup to Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations by announcing that "America, under Bush, is a danger to the world." Such comments easily put Soros in the running for chairman of the Blame America First Club. What will clinch the title for him is his declaration that the defeat of Bush in 2004 is "the central focus of my life."
He vows to spend his vast resources to stop the "supremacist ideology" of the Bush administration, which he compares to the rhetoric and thinking that gave rise to Nazism. In recent months, Soros has given tens of millions of dollars to Democrat-affiliated organizations that are committed to obstructing, attacking and defeating the president.
Clearly the Bush haters have been emboldened by the presidential attack plan -- which has yet to be repudiated by any Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee -- and they are already "pulling the trigger." In so doing, "they have decided to put partisanship ahead of our nation's security," as Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., stated.
While Senate staff members, angry Democrat congressmen and liberal billionaires continue their partisan tirades, brave Americans are in harm's way in a war against terrorists that we dare not lose. And try as they will to exploit the situation, Bush has vowed that we will not abandon our mission in Iraq.
"The United States will complete our work in Iraq and Afghanistan," Bush said, and "democracy in those two countries will succeed, and that success will be a great milestone in the history of liberty."
Yes it will. It's just a shame that so many Democrats are willing to sacrifice that victory on the altar of politics.