PLEASE Write to Steve Sneal (Chicago Sun-Times) RE: Durbin!!!!

[wndycty]

Please let Steve Neal ([e-mail]) know that he is off base on this one. Be careful with the name calling, Steve is right half the time so we don't need to piss off a part-time ally.

Ineffective senator has few friends, defenders

July 25, 2003

BY STEVE NEAL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

Run that by me one more time. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) is accusing the Bush White House of trying to smear him.

"If you come to the floor of the Senate and stand before a microphone and are critical of this administration for their policy or use of intelligence," he said, "be prepared for the worst."

In a bizarre spectacle, Durbin told a national television audience: "The White House is going to turn to you and attack you. They are going to question your patriotism."

Why is this man ranting? Until he invented this issue, nobody had impugned his patriotism.

There are legitimate questions about the Bush administration's use of intelligence in making the case for war against Saddam Hussein.

The unreality of Durbin's performance is that he is so lightly regarded by the White House that he was ignored last year when President Bush targeted Democratic senators.

Bush campaigned against Senators Max Cleland of Georgia; Jean Carnahan of Missouri; Timothy Johnson of South Dakota; Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and the late Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. While the GOP won three of these Democratic seats, Durbin got a pass.
-snip-

http://www.suntimes.com/output/neal/cst-edt-neal25.html

[chiburb]

1. When has this guy been 'friendly' 1/2 the time?

This is the same moran that criticized Sen. Fitzgerald for being 'too independent' and not good enough a GOP team player. Also, when did he ever say anything good about Durbin?
Fwiw, Bush didn't 'target' Durbin because his re-elect was a lock, especially against a state GOP literally under indictment.

[wndycty]

2. While I cannot pinpoint it. . .

. . .he has been fair on occassion. There are some blatant whores and there are others who just don't always get it right.

[GalleryGod]

3. I wrote him

Told him he was "so far off base-he just got picked-off!"
Asked him to go back:puffpiece: to the SOTU:puffpiece: and go over it word-by-word (like Dub'Ya) and find which statememnts ring:shrug: TRUE?

[Cocoa]

4. my email

Mr. Neal,

I take Durbin's charges seriously, and I take Durbin seriously.

You charge that Durbin made this up. How can you possibly know this? What in Durbin's past record suggests that he would do such a thing? Right now, it's essentially Durbin's word against Bush's. Are you actually claiming, with a straight face, to be taking George W. Bush's word against Richard Durbin's?

Your newspaper played a role in the smear campaign, when Robert Novak "outed" Joseph Wilson's wife, so you should be familiar with how real it is.

Regarding the White House taking Durbin seriously, I think that Durbin becoming outspoken is Bush's worst nightmare. And anyway, the White House does not take anyone "lightly." They see threats everywhere, just like Nixon did.

[Eloriel]

5. Just one

:kick:

Eloriel