Reply #5: Kahuna -- Cynthia learned from that loss, too

[CatWoman]

She's ba-a-a-ck, said the rest of us.

McKinney, a controversial liberal Democrat who lost her seat in Congress two years ago, is on the verge of winning back her post. If she succeeds, she ought to stop off at the Oval Office to thank her unofficial political strategist, President Bush. She couldn't have won without him.

McKinney was ousted after she made incendiary remarks suggesting that President Bush had known about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 but did nothing to stop them so that his friends could profit from the resulting war. And that was just one example of her intemperate rhetoric. During the 2000 presidential campaign, remarks were posted on her Web site characterizing Al Gore as having a low "Negro tolerance level."

In her current campaign, McKinney tamped down her rough edges and ran as a reasonable and experienced mainstream -- if liberal -- candidate. Her father -- an equally incendiary but dumber version of McKinney known for bigoted outbursts against her opponents -- was kept out of sight, either by his daughter's newfound campaign discipline or by failing health.

McKinney also benefited from a splintered field. She was defeated two years ago by moderate Democrat Denise Majette, who decided this year to run for the U.S. Senate. With the congressional seat open in heavily Democratic territory, six Democrats sought the post.

But let's give credit where credit is due. Thanks to the machinations of the Bush White House and Halliburton, McKinney's remarks about profiteering from the Iraq war don't sound nearly as wacko as they did two years ago. One of the most riveting video clips in Michael Moore's new documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," shows a 2003 "Rebuilding Iraq" seminar in Arlington, Va., in which business executives drool over the opportunities to make money off the war.

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/tucker/2004/072504.html