Ridge: Members of my own party carried out a campaign of shameless character assassination

"The darkest possibilities of the politics of terrorism became obvious in the summer and fall of 2002 as the midterm elections approached," Mr. Ridge writes. "Members of my own party carried out a campaign of shameless character assassination."

He describes how GOP operatives painted then-Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., a triple amputee from wounds he suffered in Vietnam, as being soft on terrorism because, over personnel issues, he had voted against the creation of the department Mr. Ridge would lead. The assault included a campaign commercial twinning Mr. Cleland's face with that of Osama bin Laden.

"It was an early and brutal example of playing the patriotism card and set a new standard for low," Mr. Ridge said. "But the tactic worked and the GOP picked up a Senate seat. But in the end it was very much a pyrrhic victory. The accusation that we were playing politics was something we dealt with often, and the Georgia campaign gave those accusations a basis in fact."

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No plan would have completely guarded against the ravages of such a devastating storm, Mr. Ridge states.

"Even so, there is no doubt that many more people died and many more suffered than would have occurred if the government networks had been working together in the way that we had planned it."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09221/989665-176.stm#ixzz0OlWAtZSI

Too bad that he didn't have more back bone at the time

What a whore. :puke:

He is every bit as much slime as the rest of them..Maybe even moreso as he is ratting them out now.

What bullshit. He's selling a fucking book. He should be dragged out into the street for passing the buck like this.

....wetting my pants too scared of Cheney to do anything about it"

:eyes:

up AFTER the fact? Don't they realize it makes them look like the cowards they are?

No backbone when it's needed.

How big of you.

:thumbsdown:

:kick:

What are you going to do about it?

Your party is just plain shameless.

finger at the thieves? LOL....that is SO fucking republican.