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In the Crossfire

Demonizing Daschle?

Did the Bush administration orchestrate a "Demonize Daschle" campaign against the Senate Majority Leader? Hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala step into the Crossfire with Republican consultant Charlie Black over the relationship between Bush and Daschle.

BEGALA: Mr. Black, one of the many things that happened this week is our president went to South Dakota, the home of our Senate majority leader. Now the Republican right, under the direction and sponsorship of President Bush and Vice President Cheney has been engaged in a strategy they call demonizing Daschle. This, despite the fact that Tom Daschle was the victim of an anthrax attack by some lunatic who wants to kill him. I find that particularly odious. But what I'm proud of is that the Democrats are fighting back.

BLACK: Please, please, please. Don't say all that in...

BEGALA: I am a Daschle Democrat. And on the back, they printed, "obstruct this." And they welcomed President Bush with this.

BLACK: The Senate accuses the president of anthrax attacks either, Paul.

BEGALA: Certainly the president's not behind it, but some lunatic is and they ought to be protecting and praising...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Mr. President, your out of state allies are attacking Tom Daschle. You said you would change the tone in politics. Mr. President, tell the out of state special interests to stop the attacks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BEGALA: After that ad ran, the president went to South Dakota and he hugged Tom Daschle again. Isn't that proof that either his strategy of demonizing him has failed, or he's the kind of guy who can't attack someone face to face? He's just one of those coward bullies who hides behind other people?

BLACK: Listen, the president has no strategy to demonize Tom Daschle.

BEGALA: Say that again. Say that again if I back away from the lightning bolt.

BLACK: You've never heard the president...

BEGALA: Tell me that they don't have a strategy...

BLACK: We've never heard anybody speaking for the president saying that. There's all kinds of interest groups out there, third parties that we can't control, as there are on your side that you can't control. The president works with Daschle on a lot of things, especially the war on terrorism. We wish they could work together more on the domestic agenda and the confirmation of judges, but Daschle has decided to be partisan. The first week of January, he came out and declared look, we're in a recession and it's caused by the Bush tax cut.

BEGALA: We were in a recession.

BLACK: The bad news for Daschle is, the recession's over spurred by consumer spending, which was helped by the Bush tax cut going to the consumers.