Democrat's Calling Bush a Liar and Other News

Picnicking Populists -- This was the best speech I've seen from Kucinich. He showed up in a ridiculous golf shirt that accented his lack of shoulders. His mouth barely reached the mike. Then this angry little socialist elf launched into a tirade worthy of William Jennings Bryan. He vowed to tear up NAFTA and the agricultural "monopolies." He waved a House resolution demanding an inquiry into Bush's WMD claims. He charged that organized labor had been "crucified by this administration." He dropped his voice two octaves, wrapped one hand around the mike, and croaked the word "waaaaaar" into it like a rock star. He even sang "The Star-Spangled Banner." The crowd loved it. Somebody toss a dollar in his guitar case so he can buy a quart of milk.

Dean is far and away the most interesting player in the race. Not since Clinton have Democrats seen a talent like this. Here's Dean on the federal budget:

When Ronald Reagan came into office, he cut taxes, we had big deficits, and we lost 2 million jobs. When Bill Clinton came into office, he raised taxes without a single Republican vote; we balanced the budget; we gained 6 and a half million jobs. George Bush has already lost 2 and a half million. I want a balanced budget because that's how you get jobs in this country is to balance the books. No Republican president has balanced the budget in 34 years. …You had better elect a Democrat, because the Republicans cannot handle money. … We're the party of responsibility, and they're not.

When you hear Dean talk like this, you wonder why no one else can make the party's case so simply. If more Democrats spoke this way, maybe they'd control a branch of government.

In this speech, Graham veered sharply in the dovish direction. He bragged about voting against the resolution authorizing the use of force. He decried the growing death toll of American soldiers. He demanded to know why Bush wasn't asking other nations to share more of the burden. Then he wove the WMD controversy into a larger "pattern of deception," extending from the administration's secret energy task force to its suppression of deficit forecasts. It was the most persuasively drawn ethical indictment of the administration I've seen and certainly Graham's most creative gambit.