Pete Sessions and the Taliban

Original Link: http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives2/2009/02/013249.html

by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Pete Sessions in CD32 is the chair of the NRCC this cycle. He's also...well, see for yourself.

Frustrated by a lack of bipartisan outreach from House Democratic leaders, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said today that the GOP should look to the Taliban for guidance in conveying its position on the stimulus package and, more broadly, in working to make the party's views on issues known. [...]

"Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban," Sessions said during a meeting with Hotline editors. "And that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person's entire processes.

"And these Taliban -- I'm not trying to say the Republican Party is the Taliban. No, that's not what we're saying. I'm saying an example of how you go about [sic] is to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that insurgency may be required when the other side, the House leadership, does not follow the same commands, which we entered the game with."

The quotes come from the National Journal, and they've now been picked up by the DMN, so you can expect some walking back Real Soon Now. I don't often play the "can you imagine if a Democrat said that" game, but I don't see how you can't here. Seriously, imagine this was 2002 and some Congressional Democrat used this metaphor to describe opposition to President Bush. I can't even wrap my mind around it. Both the Journal and First Read, which wonders what Drudge would do if a Dem had said this - I say imagine Fox News - go there. (Thanks to Sessions Watch for the links.)

What I really want to is if this will finally spur a well-funded challenge to Sessions this year. He's already been targeted by the DCCC in radio ads for the GOP's unanimous anti-stimulus vote, so that's a good start. CD32 is a lot less Republican than it was in 2004 - John McCain took 53% of the vote there - and that trend isn't going to stop. I thought Eric Roberson was a decent candidate last year, but he got nowhere in the fundraising department. Will Dallas and national Democrats finally get serious about taking Session on? I sure hope so.