Propagandists for Saddam – Congressmen use Baghdad as forum to assail President Bush

In Baghdad as a host of Saddam Hussein, Congressmen Jim McDermott and David Bonior launched the harshest Democrat attacks yet against President Bush, calling him a liar while saying nothing negative about the Iraqi dictator.

“I think the president would mislead the American people,” McDermott said.

McDermott added that he is convinced his government is “trying to provoke a war,” and that it “put a gun at the head of Saddam” saying, in effect, “We’re going to shoot you if you blink.” Accompanying them, California Rep. Mike Thompson appeared to agree, but unlike McDermott and Bonior, he did criticize Saddam Hussein.

Senator John McCain ripped into the congressmen on Sam Donaldson’s Monday morning WMAL radio show in Washington, saying they are even worse than Jane Fonda because they are lawmakers and should know better. It’s one thing to criticize and denounce the president at home, but an entirely different matter to do so from a foreign – and hostile – country, McCain said.

McDermott countered from Baghdad, “Dissent is an American right. Without it, it’s not a democracy.”

Bonior blasted the idea of unconditional inspections backed by US pressure, saying that Iraqi officials “don’t want to be having knocked on the door during prayer and say, ‘Open up this building in five minutes.'” AP quotes him as saying, “They want to be treated with some dignity and respect.”