Squashing Debate

"TRYING TO SQUASH DEBATE: In kicking off the conference, Richard Leone of The Century Foundation said conservatives have created a dangerous “atmosphere in which government and policies are shielded from examination and accountability.” He noted conservatives have repeatedly sought to equate criticism of policy with disloyalty to country, a practice which former Republican Sen. Robert Taft famously derided when he said “criticism in time of war is essential to the maintenance of any kind of government.” The concern is valid, as the attack on dissent have been egregious: ATTORNEY GENERAL JOHN ASHCROFT: When concerned citizens voiced opposition to excessive provisions of the Patriot Act, Attorney General John Ashcroft said on 12/6/01, "your tactics only aid terrorists, for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies, and pause to America's friends." VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY: When legitimate questions were asked about revelations that the White House was warned about a hijacking threat prior to 9/11, Vice President Cheney said on 5/16/02 that ”such commentary is thoroughly irresponsible and totally unworthy of national leaders in a time of war.” HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER TOM DELAY: When criticism was raised about poor planning in the creation of the Homeland Security Department, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) said on 9/25/02, "These are people that don't want to protect the American people. They will do anything, spend all the time and resources they can, to avoid confronting evil." (This from a man who said “Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes.”) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER BILL FRIST: When a Senator said there needed to be a radical change in the Bush Administration’s unilateralist foreign policy, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) said on 4/3/03, "Partisan insults launched solely for personal political gain are highly inappropriate at a time when American men and women are in harm's way." SECRETARY OF DEFENSE DONALD RUMSFELD: Under the headline “Rumsfeld: Critics Give Terrorists Hope,” Newsday reported on 9/9/03 that Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld said “that critics of the Bush Administration's Iraq policy are encouraging terrorists and complicating the ongoing U.S. war on terrorism.” PRESIDENT BUSH: When some raised objections to how the Homeland Security Department was being structured, President Bush said the Democratic-led "Senate is not interested in the security of the American people." WHITE HOUSE: When people questioned whether the President’s aircraft carrier speech was appropriate with combat still taking place, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said on 5/7/03, “It does a disservice to the men and women of our military to suggest that the president, or the manner in which the president visited the military would be anything other than the exact appropriate thing to do."" American Progress Report