White House strategy: "SLIME AND DEFEND"

[hedda_foil]

Holy Sheeyit! I heard this phrase on Buchanan and Press and looked it up at Yahoo News.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/02/national/02LEAK.html?ex=1065758400&en=74bb88e03d490e40&ei=5040&partner=MOREOVER


White House Looks to Manage Fallout Over C.I.A. Leak Inquiry
By RICHARD W. STEVENSON and ERIC LICHTBLAU

Published: October 2, 2003


ASHINGTON, Oct. 1 — The Bush administration pursued a two-track political strategy on Wednesday to minimize the damage from the criminal investigation into the disclosure of a C.I.A. officer's identity.

The White House encouraged Republicans to portray the former diplomat at the center of the case, Joseph C. Wilson IV, as a partisan Democrat with an agenda and the Democratic Party as scandalmongering. At the same time, the administration and the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill worked to ensure that no Republicans in Congress break ranks and call for an independent inquiry outside the direct control of the Justice Department.

"It's slime and defend," said one Republican aide on Capitol Hill, describing the White House's effort to raise questions about Mr. Wilson's motivations and its simultaneous effort to shore up support in the Republican ranks.

"So far so good," the aide said. "There's nervousness on the part of the party leadership, but no defections in the sense of calling for an independent counsel."

[kentuck]

1. And we have folks that feel compassion for people like Rush Limbaugh

And that is natural for Democrats. But we have been forced to defend ourselves and our country and we have to defeat these people in battle. There is no other way.

[Brucey]

2. Yup, goes good with their other phrase:

Slime and defend, attack and spend.

[hedda_foil]

3. Memo referenced on ABC News just now.

Sounds like the media got it from Republican staffer(s)