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Daschle: Success of War In Doubt
Friday, March 1, 2002
By Janet Hook
Los Angeles Times

In a TV interview in early February, Daschle said, "It's important for us to look at each of these countries as problems that we've got to address clearly, but I think we've got to be very careful with the rhetoric [‘axis of evil’] of that kind."

WASHINGTON -- LAT
After months of studied solidarity behind the war on terrorism, congressional Democrats are posing increasingly skeptical questions about the campaign's goals and direction, as well as President Bush's proposed military buildup.

Questions came from the top of the Democratic Party on Thursday when Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota told reporters the future success of the mission in Afghanistan was "in doubt" and that the military cannot yet claim victory because terrorist leaders remain at large.

"Clearly we've got to find [Mullah] Mohammed Omar [the head of the Taliban regime], we've got to find Osama bin Laden, and we've got to find other key leaders of the al-Qaeda network, or we will have failed," Daschle said. "We're not safe until we have broken the back of al-Qaeda, and we haven't done that yet."

Republicans immediately slammed Daschle for casting doubt on the war effort while troops are in the field.

"How dare Senator Daschle criticize President Bush while we are fighting our war on terrorism?" Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said.

A spokeswoman for Daschle later issued a statement saying the senator did not intend his comments to be construed as critical of Bush and his campaign against terrorism.
(More: The Orlando Sentinel News Source)
2002 © Tribune Publishing.

This seems to be getting all over everything out there...

Dan