Dole: Midterms Are Not A Referendum On Bush, Says She Is Trying To ‘Change That Scenario’
Dole: Midterms Are Not A Referendum On Bush, Says She Is Trying To ‘Change That Scenario’
Only 37 percent of Americans approve of the job President Bush is doing. 34 percent approve of his handling of Iraq; 60 percent think we are losing ground there while 61 percent want to set a timetable for our departure.
On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace repeatedly asked Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) whether she was content with having the 2006 midterm elections be viewed as a national referendum on President Bush and his management of Iraq. She dodged the question twice, before finally answering, “What we’re doing is changing that scenario.” Watch it:
Full transcript:
WALLACE: The president held a news conference this week on Iraq and in it he said that the ultimate responsibility for what’s going on in the war resides with him. Are you and your Republican candidates okay with this becoming a national referendum on Bush and his war policy?
DOLE: First of all, Chuck, of course, is trying very hard to make it a national referendum. President Bush’s name is not on the ballot. But let me speak to Iraq. Each candidate must speak to Iraq from his own conscience. Obviously, it’s a major issue. There’s no question about that. But, you know, what we’re trying to do is find a way to win. The Democrats appear to be convinced or content, rather, to lose. And by lose, I mean —
WALLACE: You’re talking about win and lose the election or the war?
DOLE: The war. They appear to be content to lose. Losing is withdrawing before the mission is accomplished. In other words –
WALLACE: So you’re happy to see this become a referendum on the President and the war.
DOLE: I just want to make a statement about the fact that if we were to pull out of Iraq, you’ve got Syria, you’ve got Iran. Iran obviously would love to fill that vacuum. And here’s one of the largest oil supplies in the world. I think the Middle East would be in flames. And what is likely to happen is that we would have to go back in, and that is certainly something that no one desires.
WALLACE: If I may press the point, though, I’m asking you a political question, not a policy question. Are you happy to see this as a referendum on the President and the war?
DOLE: In my view, what we’re doing is changing that scenario.
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Oh, I see. That makes sense.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:05 amE. Dole defines losing as withdrawing before winning. Does that mean that if we don’t withdraw, we win? I guess that means General Custer won at the battle of Bull Run, as well as the soldiers at the Alamo. If that’s what winning is all about, I think we’d be better off losing.
So how do the Bushies define winning?
October 29th, 2006 at 11:07 amElizabeth Dolt (R) NC
October 29th, 2006 at 11:11 amOkay… now I understand. If we cut and run, then we will have to go back into Iraq later to get our oil and Iran wants to move into Iraq which will give Iran MORE oil and we can’t have that and then the middle east will be “in flames”. Guess all the bombing and fires occuring in Iraq right now doesn’t qualify as “flames”.
Just saw Iraq for Sale on Friday evening. It is a “must see”.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:11 amDo people like Elizabeth Dole ever think about the meaning of their words? Good point, Vicki about General Custer and winning battles. If killing more Americans and more innocent Iraqis means “winning”, well, I all for losing this one.
Interesting… the Republicans have “flip flopped” on their Iraq talking points. They are no longer “stay the course” and are now for changing the course. And what does “change the scenario” look like?
October 29th, 2006 at 11:15 amGiven the helluva mess Bush and the rubber stampers have given us, why do they think anyone would listen to them now. They should be thrown out. They sound like habitual wife beaters. Honest I’ll never do it again please forgive me. Screw off. We don’t need the republican freak show to continue.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:16 amBush is a terrorist.
“Any person…who intentionally kills or inflicts great bodily harm on one or more [civilians] or intentionally engages in an act that evinces a wanton disregard for human life in a manner calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government or civilian population by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct, shall be punished, if death results to one or more of the victims, by death or other such punishment as a military commission under this chapter may direct…” MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT OF 2006
Bush intentionally killed up to 200,000 civilians in Iraq, for the stated purpose of regime change. Using cluster bombs and white phosphorus in urban areas evinces a “wanton disregard for human life.”
By the language in the very law Bush proposed, Bush is a terrorist.
The world will view this election as a referendum on Bush. Do we keep Republicans in power and maintain the status of a Terrorist State? Or do we get rid of the Terrorists in our own government and begin to set things right?
October 29th, 2006 at 11:22 amIn this political season it is more difficult to be objective but I will try.
Bush and his administration, if you review behaviors, benchmarks, or outcome are not getting the job done. no one will honestly refute that they are not successful in this campaign. A great deal of time can be spent or wasted on cause and reason for the premptive option, lets allow the historians to disect that.
America simply is honestly weighing is Bush and his admin along with GOP Congress succeeding and the FACTS remain clear, NO they are not succeeding. They have not proven up to the task and therefore it is time for them to be benched and allow others a chance to try.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:26 amMy only worry about this referendum on Bush is that Diebold and some other voting machine companies will change what should be the actual results.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:27 amShut up, you Old Bag !
October 29th, 2006 at 11:27 amLora,
I believe you are right to worry.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:27 amthe “cut and run” phrase used by the republicans has worn out. how about “leave the iraqis alone” or “we have slaughtered enough women and babies”.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:31 amjust get out of the mess created in iraq, bush should be charged with geonicide for the iraq slaughter and america must pay for the carnage it created on a defenceless country.
Lora – one way to monitor what’s happening at the polls is to become a “poll watcher”. Campaigns can have poll watchers and so can the “Parties”. One of the privileges of being a poll watcher is the abililty to monitor the machine counts and observe, closely, how the poll workers are gathering the machine counts. If you need further information about how to become a poll watcher, either contact your local candidate or contact the local Party office.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:32 amFirst bush himself and now liz…OIL….IS…what it’s all about. Republicans have forced America to be ‘oil dependent’. Now they are losing control and is backfiring on them. We see now Mission Accomplished…ment we control oil…they thought. We better start a max effort on alternative energy IF it isn’t to late. Liz thinks the repcons can change things in their favor with words. Get real lady.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:33 amHow long will it take for the Bush Cartel to move to Paraguay after the investigations begin? He bought land there close to all the other Nazis.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:33 amShut up, you Old Bag !
Comment by Bingo!
Good old Bingo, you always cut right to the heart of what people are really thinking. Heh.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:34 amBreaking news today: RNC Chief Ken Mehlman has accepted political contributions from a Gay porn producer in Hollywood, Nicholas T. Boyias Ceo of Marina Pacific Distributors. Recently released porn movies: “Fire in the Hole,” “Flesh and Boners,” and “Velvet Mafia” just to name a few. Marina Pacific is the largest distributor of Gay porn movies in the US. This news must be given wide exposure in the print media and TV press too.
PS: Ken Mehlman got OUTED as a closeted Gay man last Friday, by blogactive.com, so he has probably been watching those porn flicks > lol.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:34 amWhy does the media insist on preaching to the choir? They interview only the members of the 30% club and pronounce that “knowledgeable sources” have proved the 70% to be wrong. Over the last thirty years or so the Republicans have kept up with technology but their tactics haven’t changed. They have gone from Nixon to Bush; from “I am not a crook” to “Stay the Course;” from Watergate to Plamegate. from Nixon to Gibbons (Republican candidate for Governor of Nevada); from audio tape to video tape. (A video surveillance tape from a parking garage where Gibbons is accused of sexually assaulting a young lady was finally “found” but allegedly has a few missing scenes). They are all alike. Join the Second American Revolution. Click .
October 29th, 2006 at 11:34 amBy hook or crook they aim to keep this fascist party of ne-con morons in power.
At what point do we as the people of this great country have another Boston Tea Party? This time let’s have it at the banks of Potomac and instead of tea, toss all these idioit politicians and judges into the river and start again.
“I regret that I have but one lie to give” sounds o.k. by me.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:34 ama valid concern , Lora. I agree wholeheartedly.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:36 amLora and Zooey,
I suggest you not worry, which is dwelling on the negative, and instead focus on truth:
May those who know of the crimes of this Administration continue to come forward with testimony and evidence of wrongdoing.
And those crimes would include rigging the electronic voting machines.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:39 amSorry folks that should be
“I regret that I have but one life to give”. My appologies to Mr. Hale also.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:40 amThe joker strikes again…
October 29th, 2006 at 11:42 ampost
October 29th, 2006 at 11:42 amZooey (and all others),
OT (Sorry, everyone) Good news! Something got fixed and my blog got updated. Some new commentary and a song parody about what it must be like for the detainees. Click on my name to get there.
Have a good one, all. I have to go home now.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:44 amYes folks, she is actually a senator. It’s hard to believe that there was talk of her running for President a few years ago. She is a prime example of GOP incompetence.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:45 amMy Dear Tin-ear Lizzie,
October 29th, 2006 at 11:50 amNo, you’re right, this November election is not just a referendum on Bush, it is also a referendum on one very sore loser Bush stealing two Presidential Elections; it is also a referendum on Bush treason on nine-eleven, Bush trashing our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, Bush lying about Iraq, Bush criminally and illegally invading and occupying Iraq, Bush rigging up a fascist constitution for puppet Iraq to allow US corporations to steal Iraq’s vast oil reserves. The November election is also a referendum on Bush’s vicious behavior towards the people of New Orleans and Louisiana, his intentionally leaving the levees unrebuilt and his ongoing lies about the Bush flooding of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Cheers.
I agree with Lora; Diebold is the only thing that can ’save’ the Rethugs.
If Dems. cannot atleast take the House,we have a full fledged Dictatorship on our hands.
Mornin’, Zooey.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:50 amI think I get it now. The NeoCons/TheoCons are actually the Sleeper Cell they warn us about, working from the inside to destroy America. Keep the military tied down in Iraq so we will not be able to respond to situations around the world and drive the U.S. into crippling debt. Use fear to convince the population to give up their civil rights and step off onto that slope sliding down to fascism. Orwell had a serious lack of imagination.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:52 amAnd those crimes would include rigging the electronic voting machines.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire
It’s difficult, my friend, because whether we focus on truth or not, if the machines get rigged again, we will be dealing with these people forever. This country can’t take another minute of this shit.
Focusing on the truth…
October 29th, 2006 at 11:54 amBingo, we already have a full-fledged dictatorship on our hands.
But so far they haven’t repealed the 2nd Amendment. That may yet be the ultimate irony.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:55 amMorning, Bingo. It’s a beautiful day in Idaho, and I’m getting out there.
Later, ya’ll.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:55 amTime for the best Halloween scare ever–picture Bob Dole banging Liddy Dole!
Scared now!
Had enough?
-GSD
October 29th, 2006 at 11:58 amI think she needs a few nore botox injections around her mouth because her lips are still moving.
Of course Bush is tyed directly to the GOP the GOP is the one that gave the madman mad powers and wars with no end.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:00 pmthe only way to prevent that diebold takeover is, you got it -
OVERWHELMING DEMOCRATIC VOTER TURNOUT.
THEY CANT STEAL IT IF IT’S NOT CLOSE.
be sure to tell everyone you know!
October 29th, 2006 at 12:00 pmthanks!
Pulling out means saving lives from direct military action, not losing. Winning means continue trying to deliver democracy on the end of the bayonet and control of oil.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:02 pmThere can be no winner. When a country is ready for democacy they will find it.
Neo Conservatives excuse is that with civil strife more will die. How many times in the past has a superpower like the USA let people die through indifference?
Larry, right on point. Except about Orwell. 1984 is set some 30 years after these labor pains of The Party.
Yes, we are seeing the beginnings of the Ministry of Truth, in attempts to re-write history. “We’ve never been stay the course.”
We see the beginnings of the Ministry of Love in secret prisons around the world, in Guantanamo, in the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
We see the beginnings of the Thought Police in the “Terrorist Surveillance Program.”
We see the beginning of the Junior Anti-Sex League in the “Abstinence Only” sex education in our public schools.
We see the beginnings of Big Brother in the reverence held by The Party for President Bush.
We see the beginnings of Goldstein in Osama bin Laden, the “terrorist” who never gets caught, and releases video tapes at the opportune moment to incite fear in the American populace thus keeping The Party in power.
We see the beginnings of the Ministry of Information in Corporate Media.
It is as if Orwell’s book is being used as a blueprint instead of a warning.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:03 pmBnF, I hear you.
Zooey, have some fun for the rest of us.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:09 pmIt is as if Orwell’s book is being used as a blueprint instead of a warning.
Comment by Briseadh na Faire
And next come the space invaders and war of the worlds!!
October 29th, 2006 at 12:13 pm[actually this is from the emerald tablet of thoht]
at first glance I thought the pic was the former Tammy Faye Bakker with a shorter haircut
October 29th, 2006 at 12:15 pmcaption contest; “Just think men, you too could also have a botox bride!
October 29th, 2006 at 12:35 pmJust call 1-800-GOP-BTOX thats 1-800-GOP-BTOX, have your credit card ready!”
[wigs extra]
Wait, aren’t the apporoval ratings for Congress much lower than they are for GW?
Maybe she should be hoping for a referendum on the president.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:38 pmWhat did they do to that poor women’s face. OMG I hope she sued
October 29th, 2006 at 1:19 pmZooey, have some fun for the rest of us.
Comment by Bingo!
Crap, I get in the middle of a long walk with the dog, and a storm blows in. It’s not easy to type with blue fingers.
October 29th, 2006 at 1:44 pmWhat did they do to that poor women’s face. OMG I hope she sued
Comment by Bill
Never mind her face, ick, look at the glowing ring coming from the crack around her neck! Somebody call IT and get the upgrade for the LiddyBot 2006.
October 29th, 2006 at 1:46 pmBwahahahahaaa!!
October 29th, 2006 at 1:48 pmYes, ladies and gentlemen, that is my senator from my beloved home state. She and my other senator are the rubbery-est of the rubber stampers. Have you ever heard anything from her that is not directly from the RNC script? Anything even remotely approaching an original thought? She can spout all this because she is not, alas, up for re-election (defeat?) this time around, so nothing will come back to bite her. Yet. Oh, and Boo: As far as Dole is concerned, that remark from the Flight Suit is down the Memory Hole. Unanimity of the message of the moment is far more important than accountability.
October 29th, 2006 at 2:11 pmI menembered it! Unamity of the message is for lemmings!
October 29th, 2006 at 2:20 pmAccountability??? The GOP has none!! =)
Has she ever explained why Bob was pimping our ports for UAE? The repugs can’t be trusted to secure the country, they are too happy to play Tom Delay’s play to pay game on K-Street.
October 29th, 2006 at 2:40 pmIf a Republican came out and gave an honest assessment about anything, let alone how much people are pissed off with Bush’s crookedness and incompetence, now that would be news.
October 29th, 2006 at 3:23 pmJeez, is she still in the Senate?
October 29th, 2006 at 3:34 pmYou’re all just preaching to the choir here. Get on google and find a few republican blogs. Those are a the people who really need to hear what you have to say. Make a difference.
October 29th, 2006 at 4:06 pm@ COFFINSDRAPEDWITHFLAGS
Are poll watchers effective? Are Dems mobilizing pple to do this everywhere? because if they dont, Im sure the election will be tampered with.
Also the Dems should launch and investigation into previous election results and try ppl for treason if need be and prosecute to the full extent of the law.
October 29th, 2006 at 5:21 pmShouldn’t she be at the beauty parlor getting her hair and nails done?
October 29th, 2006 at 5:42 pmThat sure is a major overhaul on her face. 70 years old and not a wrinkle.
October 29th, 2006 at 7:49 pmhttp://www.correntewire.com/republican_people_of_the_lie_must_disgorge_the_abu_ghraib_child_rape_photos_videos_judge_rules
This is enough for me to vote against bush. Pass this on to any wingnut site you can think of.
October 29th, 2006 at 8:11 pmJury, I passed the downingstreetmemos cite link on to Judd. Hopefully, He’ll put in in a thread tomorrow.
The government gets 20 days to appeal, so it will most likely be after the election before these photos become public. Even so, the descriptions are….sick. No wonder the NIE says we are creating more “terrorists” than we are killing.
October 29th, 2006 at 10:11 pmadvice to Liz’beth : cut down on the botox and collagen, girlfriend
October 29th, 2006 at 10:45 pmaren’t they all becoming more and more like “Stepfords”?
October 30th, 2006 at 6:59 amHonestly, it’s just too ridiculous.
The ever-attentive dame de Dole says “I think the Middle East would be in flames.”
Honey, THE FREAKING MIDDLE EAST IS ALREADY IN FLAMES!!!!!!!!!! AND YOU HELPED!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you not been paying attention? Are you so freaking out of touch with reality that you haven’t noticed the hundreds of thousands of deaths, the endless suicide and roadside bombings, the ceaseless pain and suffering in which the Iraqi people live day after day?
How much worse does it have to get before you admit what a failure the whole thing has been? How much more will it take before you can admit your mistake and allow more responsible people to step in and try to clean up your mess?
October 30th, 2006 at 10:14 amLizzy Dole is an airhead. That came through loud and clear in this interview. I would expect that she will face a strong challenge in her next election.
October 30th, 2006 at 10:19 amIf this election is not a referendum on Bush, when will there be any chance to hold the worst president ever to account? In 2008? Bush already had to be impeached and sued for war crimes. No matter how hard you try to make the election about any other issue, this is the chance for American patriots to tell Bush to keep his hands off their civil liberties, their human rights, their tax money, their sons and daughters and their country.
October 30th, 2006 at 1:16 pm