- Matt Frei
- 25 Oct 06, 09:32 PM
You would have to invent if she didn鈥檛 already exist. One could not imagine a more convincing candidate for a party running on the biggest issue vexing American voters these days, the Iraq war.
Major Duckworth is a former Blackhawk pilot. Such was her commitment to her unit that she volunteered to serve one more time, against the wishes of her superiors. She has a winning smile, a terrific sense of humour, an intelligent manner and no legs.
She left them on the battlefield in Iraq two years ago when her Blackhawk was hit by a grenade. Yesterday I saw her manoeuvre deftly into a campaign meeting at the . Her new metal legs were festooned with the Stars and Stripes. Next to her was , the actor gripped by the irregular tremors of advanced Parkinson鈥檚 (close up the shaking seemed genuine enough, !).
They had come to talk not about Iraq but stem cell research, which I have discovered is one of the main issues motivating swing voters and moderate Republicans to turn their backs on Mr Bush鈥檚 party. His veto of federal funding for it has turned out to be a colossal own goal.
As Tammy told us, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 just talk about Iraq" - the prostheses do it for her - 鈥淚 am here to discuss other issues鈥. The room was packed and the free media cameras rolled by the dozen.
Contrast that with the campaign event at the Manzo restaurant held by her Republican opponent , affable father of four, lawyer and state legislator with 13 years' experience. It was dark and deserted.
But hang on - Peter Roskam may well win the seat being vacated after 32 years by Rep Henry Hyde. Mr Roskam still has $1m to spend. Tammy Duckworth only has $200,000, even though they both raised the same amount ($2.5m).
He also has the benefit of a dedicated get-out-the-vote effort that knows virtually every potential Republican voter in the 6th District of Illinois by name. Means may still trump message.
Matt Frei is the 大象传媒's senior North America TV correspondent.
- The Reporters
- 25 Oct 06, 08:37 PM
Our colleagues at 大象传媒 Radio Five Live's Up All Night programme would like to work collaboratively with bloggers, podcasters and ordinary people with a real interest in politics to help them tell the whole story of this election, and cut through some of the stereotypes about the way Americans view the issues.
If you'd like to be part of the programme's efforts to cover the mid-terms, then read the post about what they are hoping to achieve on their blog, then drop a line to upallnight@bbc.co.uk telling them a little bit about yourself.
- The Reporters
- 25 Oct 06, 03:05 PM
Washington Times: Democrats struggle not to be overconfident about the mid-terms, having been surprised by defeats in the last two elections.
Washington Post: President Bush tries to rally his conservative base by inviting dozens of sympathetic talk show hosts to the White House.
Orlando Sentinel: President Bush raised $1m for the Republican National Committee at a private event in Florida - his 44th trip to the Sunshine State as president.
- Nick Miles
- 25 Oct 06, 12:35 AM
At what point does a change in tactics constitute a de facto change of strategy? How does a "goal" differ from a "strategy" or mere "tactics"?
If the stakes weren't so high these questions might all seem a bit pedantic, mere semantics for military training school lectures. But the questions relate to the future course of American military involvement in Iraq, and with the mid-term elections fast approaching there has been an acceleration in the rhetoric coming out of the president's camp.
The spokesman, Tony Snow, has been trying to explain to the Washington press pack how you can change tactics without that having an impact on the US strategy in Iraq. But time and again the press corps has been left confused about what practical changes there will be on the ground.
The rhetorical shift from the president is more stark. For the past year, in the face of bad news from Iraq, he has insisted that America must "stay the course" rather than pull some troops out - a policy favoured by some congressmen which the president has disparagingly called "cut and run".
But now it seems the White House is not going to "stay the course". In a recent primetime television interview, President Bush denied that "stay the course" had ever been his policy. "If what you're doing is not working, change," he said.
All this of course is an attempt to make Washington appear flexible. One commentator said that the White House has realised that it can no longer "shore up a rhetorical Maginot Line that was swept aside long ago".
It's all rather perplexing and it makes many of us who've been following the twists and turns of US policy in Iraq feel as if we've woken from a long dream. There's been a Stalinesque purge of the phrase "stay the course". It has been airbrushed from the official history.
Nick Miles is a Washington correspondent for 大象传媒 News.
