Streisand Blasts 'Paralyzed' Dems, Says Bush Has Public 'Fooled'

Stage and screen star Barbra Streisand fired off a bellicose memo to Democrats whom she described as "paralyzed, demoralized, and depressed" in the wake of the 2000 elections and blasts them for yielding too much ground to "ruthless" Republicans.

First reported in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, the star of films such as Yentl, Nuts, and Funny Girl accused Bush of being beholden to big-business interests who contributed to his campaign. As a result, she said, Bush is "poisoning our air and water" and "poisoning the political system as well."

Streisand heaped considerable scorn on the Supreme Court as well. Calling the high court's decision in the wake of the Florida election deadlock the "Supreme Coup," the multi-millionaire and Oscar-winning actress accused Bush of stealing the presidency "through family ties, arrogance, and intimidation."

The memo — which she titled "Nice Guys Finish Last or Where Do We Go From Here: A Case For the Democrats" — urged immediate action by Democrats to halt the Bush agenda. The urgent tone of the memo was due in part because Streisand believes Americans "are not sufficiently informed to protect their own self-interests" and that the public "is being fooled by Bush."

Streisand's call to arms told Democrats that "this is a key moment in our history" and that absent electoral victories to win back the White House, the Senate, and the House, "we'll be consistently on the defensive with out fingers holding the dyke against the Republican revolution."

And Streisand defended former president Bill Clinton in the wake of revelations about the last-minute pardon of a billionaire tax cheat. Quoting Rose Kennedy's reference to her son John F. Kennedy, Streisand said of Clinton that "Great men have great flaws." She added that "they still can achieve great things."