First let me say I'm in the process of personalizing this blog and will be experimenting with backgrounds and colors. Hang in there with me. This is the St. John's River looking out from Fletcher Park near Cresent City, FL.

Listening to FoxNews today there was a brief story about comments former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright made in the "green room" prior to appearing on a show. She was reported as saying the "Bush administration is holding Usama bin Laden captive, waiting to break him out at the best political moment." See the story. Ms. Albright has dismissed the comments as "tongue in cheek" but I have to wonder.
In politics little is said without reason. Especially by someone regarded as a spokesperson. The Dems made no bones about demonizing Trent Lott over his ill thought out comments at Strom Thurmond's birthday party. Comments made in jest at a party honoring a respected statesman. They have recently been embarrassed by a leaked memo from Sen. Jay Rockefeller's office strategizing the politics of an delaying a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into the Sept 11 attacks. The intent to try to bring the greatest embarrassment to the Bush administration. (If the allegations are so important, isn't it disservice to the country to delay looking into them?) Yet comments by a former Clinton administration official made to a journalist just prior to his going on the air are said to have been in jest.
The Dems are masters at manipulating the media. They will make comments, complaints, and announcements to an news conference, controlling the airwaves and print media, getting their message out and with the help of the media have it repeated so many times speculation and wish lists become a psuedo-reality. I only wish the Republicans were so good at using the media to get their message across and answer the lefts message.
I believe Albrights comments were not "tongue in cheek" but a salvo across the bow of the Republican political ship. They are going to use these types of speculative comments to redirect and control the opinions and thoughts of the voters to try to bring distrust to this administration as we come into an election year. They see the polls rising on the news of the capture of Saddam and it worries them, so "time to bring out the big guns," so to speak. They also know it is very difficult if not impossible to prove a negative. You can't confirm what ain't.
To the Republicans and administration, don't sit back an let the Dems control the debate. If you don't put forth strong and convincing arguments they will win the debate by default.