Democratic Frustration on National Security

This morning's Wall Street Journal has an excellent piece on the Democratic Party frustration and impotence on foreign policy:

The way in which Senate Democrats wavered and then consented to the confirmation of Michael B. Mukasey as attorney general reflects the party's broader struggle to make headway on its national-security agenda, despite President Bush's unpopularity.

On questions such as Mr. Mukasey's stance on waterboarding, warrantless wiretapping and the war in Iraq, Democrats have been stymied by Republicans in Congress and the White House. That has sparked frustration among supporters, especially those on the left, who anticipated that last year's congressional takeover would force some policy changes.

These dashed expectations are one reason polls give Congress an approval rating lower than Mr. Bush's. The difficulties faced by Democrats on these issues look certain to complicate the party's bid to expand House and Senate majorities and regain the White House in 2008, a wartime election in which national security will be a major issue.

Democrats acknowledge the difficulty in speaking up for civil liberties while maintaining a tough stand on homeland security and terrorism.

"On issues of wiretapping or torture or any of the other tools used to fight terrorism, it's a complicated message to sell," says Stephanie Cutter, a Democratic strategist in Washington who worked on John Kerry's presidential campaign. She says Democrats in Congress and their supporters have "faced a bit of an awakening that they're not getting everything they wanted."

On Friday, two senior Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, rescued President Bush's pick to lead the Justice Department when they announced their plan to vote for his confirmation when it comes up for a vote tomorrow.

Mr. Mukasey had run into trouble earlier in the week after he refused to define waterboarding as torture and was imprecise in answering questions about the White House's assertion of broad presidential powers. As a result, a handful of Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee said they would vote against the nominee, threatening to spoil what had previously been thought to be an easy confirmation.

Liberal groups were stirred to action by the uproar over waterboarding -- an interrogation technique that simulates drowning -- and by President Bush's public statements castigating Democrats for not giving Mr. Mukasey a speedy confirmation. Left-leaning groups and bloggers over the weekend renewed criticism that despite winning the House and Senate a year ago, Democrats were "caving in" to the president.

Noting tickles me more than to see the Democrats and their hard-left fringe backers up in arms over administration successes on national security and the war. The piece concludes with the remark from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi giving confirming public unhappiness with Congress:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking at a recent news conference, said she doesn't blame Americans for giving Congress low marks, given that the party hasn't "been effective in ending the war in Iraq." She added: "If you asked me in a phone call, as ardent a Democrat as I am, I would disapprove of Congress as well."

Of course, by "Congress," Pelosi means the Senate:

Frustrated by lack of legislative progress in the Senate, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is increasingly touting Democratic achievements in the House.

Her statements represent a significant shift from the stance she took six months ago. In March, the Speaker celebrated the first 100 days of the congressional majority by stating, “Democrats have brought the winds of change to the Capitol.”

When pressed on the slow progress of spending bills during ABC’s Sunday morning talk show “This Week,” Pelosi passed the buck to the Senate, saying, “In the House we’ve passed every one of our bills.”

The change in talking points at the top reflects a deepening frustration among House Democrats, who are irritated with lack of progress in the Senate and are starting to publicly press their Senate counterparts to stop letting Republicans use procedural tactics and instead force Republicans to carry out a filibuster, if that’s what it takes.

Pelosi's apparently thinking strategically, working hard now to create the impression of policy effectiveness in the House in anticipation of next year's congressional elections. It probably doesn't occur to her that the Democratic Party's underlying problem is its weakness on national security.

See more here.