RAGGED THOTS: More "Fawlty" Reasoning

Thursday, October 26, 2006

More "Fawlty" Reasoning

As we noted a few days ago, the Republicans have become the "Fawlty Towers" party. Note the difference between senators Chuck Schumer and Bill Frist:

Iraq is not only a potent issue in its own right, but is also a resonant metaphor for doubts about the competence and accountability of the Republican Party.

In the most competitive races, Iraq echoes in varying ways, but almost always for Republicans it is a problem to be navigated and for Democrats a stick to be brandished. In Ohio, it helped put incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine (R) on the efensive. In House races in Pennsylvania and Illinois, it gave three Democratic war veterans and novice politicians an opening.

"We are telling our candidates not to be afraid to talk about it," said Sen. Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Who would have thought two years ago the Democrats would be affirmatively putting ads on television about Iraq and Republicans would be avoiding it?"

Showing how the tables have turned, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) told interviewers in New Hampshire this week that Republican candidates should steer away from the war.

"The challenge," Frist said, "is to get Americans to focus on pocketbook issues, and not on the Iraq and terror issue."

Yeah, right -- focus on domestic issues and ignore all that awkward, icky, foreign-policy stuff! That trade-off worked so well for the Democrats in the last couple of elections, didn't it?
(Though, to be honest, I'm not sure if it's exactly accurate to say that Democrats are "affirmatively" putting Iraq on the air. They are, to be accurate, assertively placing negative ads on the handling of the war. But, hey, why quibble?)

Technorati Tags: Democrats, Iraq War, Republicans, Congress