Cantwell on Bolton - Sorta........

In July, I issued a request to Senator Cantwell and to Mike! (Mini-Slade) McGavick to respond as to how they might vote when the Senate takes up the confirmation of John Bolton to become the US Ambassador to the UN (he is currently seated as the result of a "recess appointment"). Senator Cantwell has provided the following:
***************************************************

Dear Mr. Shue ,

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns for the nomination of John Bolton to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations. I appreciate hearing from you, and regret the delayed response.

As you know, on August 1, 2005, President Bush used an unorthodox method to appoint John Bolton as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (UN). This recess appointment was an effort to circumvent the Senate's normal role of providing advice and consent on the President's nominations. As a recess appointee, Mr. Bolton can only serve in his current position until the end of the 109th Congress unless he is confirmed by the Senate. As a result, President Bush again nominated Mr. Bolton to continue his service as the U.S. ambassador to the UN on September 19, 2005.

On July 27, 2006, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on Mr. Bolton's nomination. During the hearing, a number of Senators questioned Mr. Bolton's aggressive and combative approach to diplomacy and UN reforms. In addition, Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) renewed a request for the Administration to provide the Committee with several important documents relevant to Mr. Bolton's background. Specifically, Senator Dodd requested transcripts intercepted by the National Security Agency (NSA) which Mr. Bolton viewed to learn the identities of American citizens speaking or referenced in the intercepts. The media reports that the NSA has been secretly collecting telephone records of ordinary Americans to create a massive database, in addition to intercepting actual calls and emails, heightens the importance of releasing these documents to the Committee.

Like you, I believe the Administration is sending the wrong message by reappointing an ambassador that has a history of creating more tension instead of using diplomacy to reduce it. In fact, concerns raised by his positions and record, including the refusal to provide important background documents, led me to vote against ending debate and moving forward with Mr. Bolton's nomination last year.

While I recognize the privilege of the President to select his nominees, I believe it is critical that we conduct a comprehensive evaluation of each nominee's qualifications. Mr. Bolton's reappointment raises serious issues, and I am carefully considering them and other factors in reviewing his qualifications to continue to represent U.S. interests at the United Nations.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. For more information about my work in the Senate and issues of importance to Washington state, feel free to visit my website at http://cantwell.senate.gov . Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator
********************************************************************

While Senator Cantwell has previously expressed 'serious reservations and concerns' about other matters just prior to voting for them anyway (ie. IWR, Patriot Act, CAFTA, cloture on Alito debate, etc) she did stand with the majority to filibuster Bolton's initial confirmation vote. Because of that vote and because I believe she truly values diplomacy whenever possible, I will trust that she will vote to deny confirmation if the vote reaches the floor.

In the meantime, I still await any response from Mike! McGavick. Even though he won't be casting a vote, it would be interesting to know how he would vote BEFORE the fact.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

WA Dems - Access Denied

Yesterday, August 30, 2006, Democratic senate candidate, Hong Tran issued the following press release:
****************************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Jesse Blaisdell
Hong Tran for U.S. Senate
jesse@hongtran.com
http://www.hongtran.com
(206) 930-7398

Seattle, WA 30 August 2006
U.S. Senate Candidate Hong Tran Asks State Party Chair To Keep His Word
Democratic Party faithful are demanding an explanation from State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz. They say Pelz is preventing U.S. Senate candidate Hong Tran from providing voters with information about her campaign.

Pelz will not allow Tran to distribute campaign materials at Democratic Party offices or events, and refuses to grant her full access to the party’s voter information database. The Democratic Party typically offers campaigns full access to voter files to help candidates provide democratic voters with information about their campaigns.

When Tran initially asked for full access to the voter database, she was denied. She was offered limited information on voters in only King County and the third legislative district, amounting to just 150 of over 5,000 precincts in the state – hardly enough to get her message to voters.

When pressed by Free Speech Radio News to explain why Tran is being denied access to the database, State Party spokesperson Kelly Steele stated, “We are allowing her to use it in any capacity she is able.”

Tran is asking for just this. She wants to use phone lists and walking lists from select areas of the state to tell voters about her campaign. With almost five-hundred volunteers, Tran will have little difficulty making use of the information. Because she was offered access to as much information as her campaign can use, she expects Pelz to fulfill the request.

In an e-mail sent to Pelz last night, Tran wrote,

"… When Free Speech Radio News inquired into the issue, Democratic Party Spokesperson Kelly Steele said, 'We are allowing her to use it in any capacity she is able.'

"…I expect this request to be fulfilled within the next 72 hours. I will consider anything else a denial of this request."

Pelz and the state party have yet to explain why they are preventing Tran from providing Democratic voters with information about her campaign, but many already know the answer: her opponent is Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell.

“Pelz and the party leadership want to choose who wins the primary election,” Tran said, “so they don’t want voters to know about my campaign.”

To listen to the Free Speech Radio News report on Hong Tran and the Washington State Democratic Party, please visit Hong Tran’s website.

You can find out more about Hong Tran's campaign by visiting her web site at: http://www.hongtran.com/

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS APPROVED BY HONG TRAN

For more information contact:
Jesse Blaisdell
Hong Tran for U.S. Senate
jesse@hongtran.com
http://www.hongtran.com
(206) 930-7398
******************************************************

Perhaps this explains why the "party insiders" find it so easy to say that Ms Tran doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of competing with Senator Cantwell in the upcoming primary. Maybe she should have accepted "door number 2" when Dal LaMagna offered it to her?

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

IWR News

Iraq Body Count: 8/31/06
Americans Killed: 2639
Americans Wounded: 19,772
Iraqi Dead: Est.: 45,613
http://icasualties.org/oif/
.......................................................

Latest Confirmed Casualties:

*Staff Sgt. Jeffrey J. Hansen, 31, of Cairo, Neb., died on Aug. 27, in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries suffered on Aug. 21 in Balad, Iraq.

* Spc. Seth A. Hildreth, 26, of Myrtle Beach, S.C., died on Aug. 27, in Baghdad, Iraq.

*Lance Cpl. Donald E. Champlin, 28, of Natchitoches, La., died Aug. 28 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, from wounds received in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on Aug. 27.

*Sgt. David J. Almazan, 27, of Van Nuys, Calif., died on Aug 27, in Hit, Iraq.

*Spc. Joshua D. Jones, 24, of Pomeroy, Ohio, died Aug 27, in Baghdad, Iraq.

*Spc. Kenneth M. Cross, 21, of Superior, Wis. died Aug 27, in Baghdad, Iraq.

*Pfc. Daniel G. Dolan, 19, of Roy, Utah died Aug 27, in Baghdad, Iraq.

*Cpl. Christopher T. Warndorf, 21, of Burlington, Ky., died Aug. 29 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

********************************************************************************

General: Iraqi security needs 12-18 mos.
"BAGHDAD, Iraq - The top U.S. general in Iraq said Wednesday he believes Iraqi forces can take over security with little coalition support within a year to 18 months.

That takeover would not mean U.S. troops leaving immediately. It is part of a U.S. military plan to hand over responsibilities, move into large bases and provide support while Iraqis take the lead. A U.S. drawdown would start after that occurred."
*****************************************************************************
U.S. sniper kills family of four in Ramadi

"Ramadi, Aug 31, (VOI) – An Iraqi family of four people was killed by U.S. sniper fire on Thursday morning in Ramadi, Anbar province, eyewitnesses said.
“A man, his wife and two children were walking home in al-Huz neighborhood when a U.S. sniper shot them dead at 11:00 a.m. in al-Ma’ared Street,” a witness told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
U.S. Marines have been stationed on the roof tops of high buildings in several neighborhoods of Ramadi for two days, he said.
Earlier on Thursday, witnesses reported that U.S. forces blew up many government buildings in the restive Iraqi town of Ramadi at dawn."
*******************************************************************************


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

IWR News

Iraq Body Count: 8/29/06
Americans Killed: 2630
Americans Wounded: 19,609
Iraqi Dead: Est.: 45,613
http://icasualties.org/oif/
.......................................................

Latest Confirmed Casualties:

*Chief Petty Officer Paul J. Darga, 34, of Lansing, Mich., died Aug. 22 in the Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Spc. Thomas J. Barbieri, 24, of Gaithersburg, Md., died on Aug. 23 south of Baghdad, Iraq.

*Lance Cpl. James D. Hirlston, 21, of Murfreesboro, Tenn., died Aug. 23 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Staff Sgt. Dwayne E. Williams, 28, of Baltimore, Md., died Aug. 24 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Sgt. Jeremy E. King, 23, of Meridian, Idaho, died on Aug. 24, in Baghdad, Iraq.

*Sgt. Marquees A. Quick, 28, of Hoover Ala., died on Aug 19, in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

*Pfc. William E. Thorne, 26, of Hospers, Iowa, died on Aug 24 in Iraq.

*Staff Sgt. Gordon G. Solomon, 35, of Fairborn, Ohio, died Aug. 24 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Cpl. Jordan C. Pierson, 21, of Milford, Conn., died Aug. 25 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Cpl. David G. Weimortz, 28, of Irmo, S.C. died Aug. 26 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Spc. Edgardo Zayas, 29, of Dorchester, Mass., died on Aug. 26, in Baghdad, Iraq.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Teegarden for PUD

The most important race in Snohomish County this year is the race for Snohomish County PUD Commissioner - District 2! Oh sure, there are a number of legislative races and our three federal offices to concern ourselves with but it has just struck me that the race that provides the greatest return for my one vote is the race to turn over one seat on the PUD's decision making body.

Recently, Snohomish County PUD Commissioner David Aldrich made a presentation to a monthly meeting of Democracy for Snohomish County. His presentation focused on the issue of climate change and its potential ramifications on future energy sourcing for the PUD. Aldrich is big on conservation and renewables. His reason for presenting to us was to enlist our help in encouraging more public input at commissioner's meetings in an effort to sway at least one of the other two commissioners toward his position of conservation and renewables. I should emphasize at this point that at no time did Commissioner Aldrich mention the upcoming election or suggest any change in the make up of the commission. Our response at that time was to appoint our endorsed candidate for PUD Commissioner, Eric Teegarden to act as liaison to the PUD Commission to keep us informed of upcoming meetings and when we might want to send out information and a request for attendance.

Since that presentation, the PUD commissioners met to vote on an endorsement for I-937 - the Clean Energy Initiative. The endorsement failed on a two to one vote with Aldrich standing alone in favor of the endorsement. This past weekend, DFSC hosted its first annual Renewable Energy Symposium and Expo. While the symposium was held at the auditorium of the Snohomish County PUD and featured remarks from the mayor of Everett, a local state legislator and both of the members of Congress representing Snohomish County, the only member of the PUD commission to attend was - you guessed it - David Aldrich. At the Expo, on Saturday, Aldrich presented his climate/energy presentation to a broader audience. It was at that moment I realized the importance of this race. One seat on this commission could change the entire energy sourcing outlook for hundreds of thousands of people for the foreseeable future; and DFSC has endorsed exactly the right person for that job!

Eric Teegarden brings precisely the qualifications and philosophies to this job that will help make Snohomish County a leader in energy awareness and policy in the state and the country. Eric's education (BS in Geophysics from Texas A&M, BS in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University, and a MS in Environmental Science from Oregon Graduate Institute) coupled with his longstanding Progressive activism would compliment the "new energy realities" agenda that Commissioner Aldrich could move forward as the leader of a more progressive thinking PUD. However, before we can make this tremendous leap from 19th century energy thinking to the 21st century reality, Eric must overcome a primary opponent in a three way race to move on to defeat the other remaining primary candidate in the November general election. Eric needs our help.

Obviously every candidate is deserving of support. What I would ask is that you visit Eric's website (http://www.teegarden4pud.com/index.html) and see if you agree with the values he stands for. After you have done that, consider that by electing Eric Teegarden to the Snohomish County PUD, the shift to a real policy of sustainable energy begins in Snohomish County in January, 2006 - no further action required. This is the opportunity to make real change now.

Wait! There's more! If you are still not convinced to act, check out the incumbent that Eric would replace:

Kathleen Vaughn

(Commission) President

On January 1, 2001, Kathleen Vaughn began her second term as PUD Commissioner, representing District 2. Ms. Vaughn is the owner of Goldmark Financial Corporation, a Snohomish County mortgage company. She also is co-owner with her husband of a construction firm. Prior to her election to the Commission, she was active in the community, running many youth organizations and serving as a (republican) precinct committee person. Ms. Vaughn's term expires December 31, 2006.

You decide - A republican mortgage broker or a Progressive Democrat with degrees in Environmental Science and Geophysics?

That website again:

http://www.teegarden4pud.com/index.html

Peace,

Chad (The Left) Shue

IWR News

Iraq Body Count: 8/22/06
Americans Killed: 2611
Americans Wounded: 19,511
Iraqi Dead: Est.: 45,144
http://icasualties.org/oif/
.......................................................

Latest Confirmed Casualties:


*Staff Sgt. Kenneth A. Jenkins, 25, of Fouke, Ark., died in Balad, Iraq on Aug. 12.

*Lance Cpl. Michael D. Glover, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y., died Aug. 16 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Pfc. James J. Arellano, 19, of Cheyenne, Wyo., died on Aug 17 in Baghdad, Iraq.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Mini-Slade not so Civil

Thanks to Steve Zemke over at Majority Rules for this head’s up on Mike! (Mini-Slade) McGavick’s new radio ad . In the ad, approved by McGavick, he accuses Maria Cantwell of voting against extending the state sales tax deduction from our Federal Income Tax. So much for Mike!’s “pledge of civility” in the campaign.

The woman’s voice over in the ad says, “Senator Cantwell says she voted no because she disagreed with parts of the bill.” What the ad fails to disclose is that the “parts of the bill” she disagreed with were a full repeal of the estate tax and a massive wage cut for people in this state who earn a portion of their wages in tips. According to the Congressional Resource Service (CRS) “…under the proposal, states that do not allow employers to take a minimum wage tip credit would be required to use the federal minimum wage until they passed a new law allowing such tip credits.” The effect of this in Washington State would be to reduce the minimum wage for many tip earners by over $5 per hour!

Mini-Slade then muddies the waters by claiming that the real problem is with the partisan divide in Washington DC that causes “people to vote against their own state’s interests.” Hey Mike!, wake up! Which party is in charge? Yours! If this issue is so important to you, why didn’t you ask Bill Frist (who was just here to raise money for you) to send up the state sales tax measure as a stand alone bill and, while he’s at it, have him send it up as a permanent inclusion rather that the “extension” that was offered in this plainly partisan election year garbage called “the trifecta” by the republican leadership? Since you obviously haven't been watching, this is exactly what Senator Cantwell has been pushing for as she fights for the citizens of this state in your republican controlled Congress. I didn't hear you supporting her then.

By the way Mike!, a real man would do his own talking. What’s with the “voice over”? If you are going to criticize your opponent, you should have the equipment to do it in your own voice.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Breaking Cantwell Statement on IWR Vote

Daniel Kirkdorffer over at On the Road to 2008 has picked this up from David Postman at the Seattle Times:""If I knew then everything that I know today and the Republican leadership still brought it up for a vote, I would have voted no," Cantwell said in a statement Monday.
"If the Bush administration had done the hard work of building an international coalition to really contain Saddam, there would have been no vote," she said"

I checked with Postman just a few minutes ago and he verified that he received this specific wording from the Cantwell campaign. This is a significant shift from any previous statement from the senator in regards to her vote to invade Iraq. In Yakima and previously she was quoted as saying that if the Democrats had been in charge or if they knew then what they know now, there have been no vote. This is the first time that she has specifically said that she would personally have voted “no”. In light of what I just posted here I would say that this marks a dynamic “change of course” for Senator Cantwell and I welcome it whole heartedly.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Maria Cantwell's Change of Course

I must preface this post by stating that, while I still have profound differences with Senator Cantwell over her vote to authorize the invasion of Iraq and other issues of significance (and because of these issues will vote for Hong Tran in September), I do realize that the issue at hand is when and how we exit Iraq and move forward. With this in mind, I offer the following:

On Sunday, August 13th, Senator Maria Cantwell came to the Snohomish County Democrats’ picnic to kick-off her re-election campaign. She reminded us that she had also begun her 2000 campaign in her home county and saw no reason to do anything different this year. To be sure, Maria Cantwell is very popular in Snohomish County for her strong environmental positions and, more recently, her leadership in the fight to challenge Enron’s lawsuit against the Snohomish County PUD.

When Senator Cantwell got up to speak to the assembled Democrats at the picnic, she was sure to talk about both of these things. I was surprised a bit that, while she recognized Congressman Rick Larsen who was also in attendance, she did not mention the Wild Sky Wilderness bill that Larsen is pushing in the House with the strong support of both Senators Cantwell and Murray. Nevertheless, she was very good on what are considered to be her signature issues of environmental stewardship and renewable energy. To her credit (or perhaps she knew that others would bring it up) she did not say much about drilling in ANWR and kept her focus on Washington State.

She did a nice job of taking the republicans to the woodshed for their lack of oversight on just about everything from the massive budget deficit to foreign policy. It was when she got to Iraq that I saw a different Maria Cantwell from the one I saw and heard in Yakima though. She began her remarks on that subject by saying, “We can no longer stay the course in Iraq. The Democrats say it is time for us to change the course in Iraq!” She said that we need to help the Iraqis get their affairs in order by the end of this year and start bringing our troops home. I want to emphasize at this point that, at no time did she ever say “Year of Transition”. For that alone, I think it was her strongest statement on Iraq this year.

She did go on to say some more things about the need for the Democrats to reclaim the Senate and the House this year. She talked about having Democrats at the helm of the various committees and how a Democratic majority would keep the Supreme Court safe from the right wing extremists. Overall, it was a good speech to a receptive crowd. She was followed by Senator Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota) who just happened to be in the neighborhood on a book signing tour and also happens to have some in-laws in the area. Dorgan did a good job of talking up Maria’s leadership in her fight against ANWR drilling and how she and Patty were a formidable team representing our state.

I have to say this about Cantwell’s remarks on Iraq, whether it is because she really recognizes the failures of the Bush administration or she has been listening to those in her camp who are helping her correct her own course, she seemed very comfortable (to point of passionate) about the call to “change course” and pulling the troops out of Iraq. I can’t say that I was expecting any particulars on how we “stand up the Iraqis” but that is not necessarily for her to say. What I still hope to hear at some time in the near future however is how long after the end of the year will she support keeping our troops in the middle of the Iraqi civil war that will certainly still be going on at that time. For now, I am convinced that she has backed away from the Liebermans of the party in their continuing support of “stay the course.”

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

IWR News

Iraq Body Count: 8/15/06
Americans Killed: 2601
Americans Wounded: 19,387
Iraqi Dead: Est.: 44,621
http://icasualties.org/oif/
.......................................................

Latest Confirmed Casualties

*Pfc. Brian J. Kubik, 20, of Harker Heights, Texas, died on Aug 5 in Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries
suffered on Aug 2 in Baghdad, Iraq.

*Staff Sgt. Stephen A. Seale, 25, of Grafton, W.V. died in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 6.

*Sgt. Carlton A. Clark, 22, of South Royalton, Vt. died in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 6.

*Spc. Jose Zamora, 24, of Sunland Park, N.M. died in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 6.

*Staff Sgt. Tracy L. Melvin, 31, of Seattle, Wash (50th from WA) died on Aug. 6 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

*Lance Cpl. Jeremy Z. Long, 18, of Sun Valley, Nev., died Aug. 10 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Sgt. Steven P. Mennemeyer, 26, of Granite City, Ill. (died) on Aug. 8 in Rubtbah, Iraq.

*Sgt. Jeffery S. Brown, 25, of Trinity Center, Calif. (died) on Aug. 8 in Rubtbah, Iraq.

*1st. Sgt. Aaron D. Jagger, 43, of Hillsdale, Mich. died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Aug 9.

*Spc. Ignacio Ramirez, 22, of Henderson, Nev. died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Aug 9.

*Spc. Shane W. Woods, 23, of Palmer, Alaska died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Aug 9.


Peace,
Chad (The Left Shue)

My Brief Encounter of the Cantwell Kind

On Sunday I attended the Snohomish County Democrats picnic as a representative of Democracy for Snohomish County (DFSC). I was there with my wife to sell tickets to our Renewable Energy Symposium (Friday, August 18th). Due to some other family business I had not originally planned to attend the event but when it became evident that there would be no other person available to staff the DFSC table, my wife (who is the Secretary of DFSC) determined we needed to shift our priorities.

The event flyer for the picnic suggested that many of our county electeds would be there, including our two congress members, Jay Inslee (1st CD) and Rick Larsen (2nd CD). At the last minute an email went out stating that Senator Maria Cantwell would be there as well. Considering that both Inslee and Larsen are scheduled to speak at the symposium, I figured this probably would give me an opportunity to discuss the event with them and thank them ahead of time for agreeing to be there.

My wife and I arrived around 10:30am to set up our table (the picnic was scheduled to start at 11:00). We were the first “table” to show up so we had first pick for location and immediately determined the area that would have the most shade for the day. It didn’t take long to realize that the Auxiliary Cantwell Campaign (aka Coordinated Campaign) would be in full service here. In Snohomish County we have a significant number of folks either up for re-election or running for the first time. I have already mentioned Larsen and Inslee. In addition, all seven LDs have legislative races in play (all three seats in the 38th). We have races for County offices as well as some judges who have been endorsed by the SCDCC. However, if you lived outside the county and came in from the street, you would have thought that this was one big Cantwell Campaign event. Just as in Yakima, Cantwell signs and t-shirts were the decoration of the day. It was almost an hour into the morning before Marian Harrison (38th LD Chair) finally went to her car to retrieve a blue and white John McCoy yard sign to break up the green and blue theme. After a while, someone brought in a couple of Mike Sells signs and leaned them up against a table (far from the festivities). This is not to say that some of the candidates were not there mingling with the group but I just felt that somehow our county party event had been assimilated by the Borg that is the Cantwell Machine.

At some point after 12:30, Senator Cantwell arrived. She was accompanied by Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota (he is currently on a book tour and has in-laws here in Snohomish County). Someone suggested to me that I should go over and have a chat with her. Some folks actually thought that this could be somewhat contentious and said they wanted to tag along if I went over to her. I gave this some thought and decided that, since I have devoted so much Bandwidth as a Cantwell protagonist of sorts, it might be a good thing to pay my respects. I left my wife at the table and took the walk over to the area where Senator Cantwell was greeting folks and waiting for her introduction by Mark Hintz, County Chair. The wait wasn’t very long as most folks seemed content to shake her hand and maybe get a photo with her. She was very obliging but I could tell that she was pretty focused on Hintz so she wouldn’t miss her cue to address the crowd. When it was my opportunity to greet her, she seemed to be focused on my Progressive Caucus of Snohomish County Democrats t-shirt and Mark (who was some 10 or 15 feet away from us with a wireless microphone in hand). I introduced myself as Chad Shue and said that I just wanted her to know that I did not have pointy horns and I hoped she did not take personal offense to anything I may have written. She looked at me as if I had just landed from Mars and said, “Is there some reason I might think you had pointy horns?” At that moment I realized she had absolutely no clue about who I was! Before I could explain that I wrote this little blog and about how I had been a Mark Wilson supporter and had some issues with her, Hintz was calling her up and she was on her way to address to crowd.

There is a happy ending to the story. (OK, I know some of you think the story already has a happy ending but this is, after all, all about me and some “blogger’s ego” thing). Just as I was turning around to sulk away the rest of the day, Michael Meehan, Cantwell’s chief campaign strategist put his hand on my shoulder and said, “If you would have said you were “The Left Shue”, I think you might have gotten a different reaction.” Ego healed!

My review of Cantwell’s remarks to the Snohomish County Democrats picnic will follow in my next post.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

General Misleads Troops

In a story today from the Associated Press "General hears Marines' concerns in Iraq" (By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer) Marine General, Peter Pace, Chaiman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was recently in Iraq to talk with the troops and listen to their concerns. Now that sounds pretty good. Something that we would want from those who would put our troops in harm's way. The problem is, apparently General Pace, rather than level with the troops who have been asked to die for their country, chose to offer half thruths and administraion propaganda.

"On his first visit to Fallujah as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Peter Pace stood before 1,300 troops — mostly Marines — and assured them that the American public supports them. And he predicted that Americans would continue to support the war."

"Public support for the troops doesn't extend to the Iraq war itself, however. More than half, 58 percent, said in a Newsweek poll out this weekend that the United States is losing ground in Iraq and opposition to the war has been growing."

Pace, who can been seen most days standing next to his boss, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (at press biefings about how well things are going in Iraq) seems to think that these brave Americans can take a bullet or the loss of a limb ok but they might have a hard time with a straight answer.

"How much more time, one Marine asked, should the Iraqi government be given to achieve the political unity necessary to stabilize the country?

"I guess they have as long as it takes," Pace replied, quickly adding, "Which is not forever."

Pace argued that setting a deadline by which the United States would withdraw its support would risk pushing the Iraqis into political decisions that are unviable. On the other hand, he said, "You do not want to leave it open ended."

That's certainly an answer that Rumsfeld might be proud of.

"Another Marine wanted to know if U.S. troops would stay in Iraq in the event of an all-out civil war. Pace repeated what he told a Senate committee last week: a civil war is possible, but not expected. He did not say what the United States would do if it actually happened."

Old school types will say that you should never say anything that might put doubt into the minds of the troops. I suggest that the age of the Internet has changed that rule. The fact that the troops would be asking the types of questions reported on here would indicate that they have already seen the news and are wanting real answers from their leaders. I would further suggest that nothing could be more harmful to troop moral than to have them believing they are being mislead or even lied to.

If General Pace wants to do something to boost troop moral, he should start telling the truth to his bosses in the Pentagon and the Whitehouse and, most importantly, to the troops in harm's way.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Democrats and Terrorism

Today I happened to buy a copy of the Everett Herald to read on my bus ride to work. Turning to the Op-Ed page, I first noticed Charles Krauthammer’s piece: “Anti-war victory will prove disastrous for Democrats.” I am no great fan of Charlie’s but I figured he might be good for a laugh or two. As I finished his piece I saw the title of the Eugene Robinson piece “Plot shows we're fighting wrong war” and figured this would help neutralize the Krauthammer smell. After reading both pieces however it occurred to me that there was a significant relationship between them.

From Krauthammer, ”…. The Iraq war will end, as will the Bush presidency. But the larger conflict that defines our times - war on Islamic radicalism, more politely known as the war on terror - will continue, as the just-foiled London airliner plot unmistakably reminds us. And the reflexive anti-war sentiments underlying Ned Lamont's victory in Connecticut will prove disastrous for the Democrats in the long run - the long run beginning as early as November '08.”

Compare that to this from Robinson, ” The revelation Thursday of the elaborate plot to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean with liquid explosives reminds us of the real threats we face - as opposed to the phantom threats that George W. Bush and Tony Blair have conjured to justify their disastrous war in Iraq.”

This pretty well sets up what many of us have been saying for these almost four years of Iraqi occupation. The Bush Administration and the neo-cons will continue to win the “stronger on defense” argument so long as they are allowed to maintain the link between Iraq and the so-called War on Terror. The Democrats must continue what they started in the House last month when they stood united (except for 42 defectors) to say they were severing that linkage.

In 2004, George W. criticized John Kerry for correctly labeling the “war on terror” as a police action rather than a military endeavor. Kerry backed down; or, at the very least, did not make the case very well. Yet, as we have seen time after time since September 11th, any major successes in thwarting terrorist activities or capturing suspected perpetrators has come as the result of good police work on the part of the intelligence communities and not by the brute force of a couple hundred thousand troops. Quite to the contrary, the effect of the invasion and occupation of Iraq has been to increase the potential number of future terrorists we will need to concern ourselves with later.

While Krauthammer and Karl Rove will do what they can to spin the recent primary win of Ned Lamont into some sort of leading indicator of an oncoming Democratic pacifist movement, the Democrats need to be taking the argument to the voters that, by placing more emphasis on better intelligence and less on “nation building”, we are the party that will best protect America. To do this however, we need to come to grips as a party that the time to leave Iraq is now so that the Iraqis can get to the business of putting their country back together and America can re-enter the world community as peacemaker rather than antogonist. We need to incorporate the words of Eugene Robinson into the political debate:

"Maybe the discovery of the airliner plot will bring us back to the real world. There are deadly enemies out there, and one way to fight them, as the British demonstrated Thursday, is through intelligence. One way not to fight them, as the Bush administration continues to demonstrate, is through reckless military action that may kill terrorists but also kills innocent civilians, and thus creates a new generation of terrorists - doubtless including some bright young man or woman who will come up with a new idea for downing civilian airliners.

We will end up boarding our flights barefoot, barehanded and buck naked except for a hospital gown they'll make us put on at the airport."

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Do You Know Darcy?

Do you know Darcy Burner? You should. She is set the be the first Democrat elected from the 8th CD. For a look at the person who is well on her way to helping the Democrats regain control of the US House, check out her first TV ad of the campaign season here .

After you watch the ad, return to the website and contribute what you can in time or money.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

They Could be Cousins?

I really (honest) wasn’t planning to say anything about the Lieberman-Cantwell scenario that is trying to play itself out on some of the local blogs like here and here after the Connecticut primary the other day but finding this article in the Seattle PI this morning inspired me to jot down a few notes.

According to the story by Neil Modie, ”While anti-war liberals were high-fiving Sen. Joseph Lieberman's defeat in Connecticut's Democratic primary, mainstream Democrats here were busy explaining Wednesday why Washington's Sen. Maria Cantwell is no Joe Lieberman.” Well, if mainstream Democrats feel a need to explain something, maybe there is something there.?

The article is correct in the assertion that the two primary races bear little comparison. While Ned Lamont was placed on the shoulders of the so-called Netroots very early on in the process, any such effort here in Washington was quickly thwarted by the “vast centrist conspiracy” that is the Cantwell blogosphere in this state. The established Progressive Blogs such as the above mentioned Horsesass.org and the always popular Northwest Progressive Institute are so quick to come to Cantwell’s defense whether the charge be about Iraq, the Patriot Act, or her failure to support the filibuster of Sam Alito. The fact that Cantwell, as Modie points out, ”… gave her most vocal anti-war primary opponent, Mark Wilson, an $8,000-a-month job on her campaign staff.”, has also taken some of the wind out the sails of those who had hitched their wagon to his is also a factor. Her remaining Democratic challenger Hong Tran, hoping for a boost from the Lieberman/Lamont results, has recently picked up dual-endorsements from the 25th and 26th LD Democrats but still faces the same hurdles of breaking through the Cantwell defenses and massive money machine. About Tran, Modie says, ”And Tran, a late-starting political newcomer, said, "Pro-war Democrats like Lieberman and Cantwell simply can't run from their record of supporting this war." She said she hopes Democrats "will send the same message here in Washington State" that they did in Connecticut.”

Which brings us back to the whole Cantwell-Lieberman thing.

Why is Cantwell not Lieberman? Well there is this from Dwight Pelz, Chair of the Washington State Democrats, ”… Maria Cantwell never kissed George Bush on the floor of Congress. The Democrats of Washington state know that," said state Democratic Chairman Dwight Pelz, alluding to an incident in which the president appeared to kiss Lieberman on the cheek after Bush's 2005 State of the Union address.” David Goldstein – Goldy of Horsesass.org – was very quick to post, ”that Cantwell and Lamont "essentially share almost identical positions on the war." Both, he said, have called for the administration to start redeploying troops out of Iraq this year, opposed a establishing permanent U.S. military bases there and demanded that the U.S. "change course" to help Iraqis find a political solution and take over their country's security.”

But it is not where we are that joins Cantwell and Lieberman. It is how we got here. Perhaps the best kept secret (or the most under-reported position) in this campaign is that, unlike so many of her peers in the Congress, Cantwell (just like Lieberman) voted to invade Iraq, not based on faulty intelligence about WMD but, based on the belief that it was the logical extension of the 1991 Gulf War and that regime change (apparently by any means available) was in the best interest of the American and Iraqi people. Thus you will not hear Maria Cantwell “regret” her vote from October, 2002. No matter that they entrusted the lives of both American forces and Iraqi civilians to the incompetence of the Bush Administration, both Cantwell and Lieberman stand by the “righteousness of the cause”. On this, they are inseparable. In addition they are both strong advocates for so-called Free Trade, having voted for every deal that has come down the pike (Lieberman was out of town for the OFTA deal and did not vote), they both voted for both passes at the Patriot Act, and both voted for cloture on the Alito matter. The list of shared votes continues. So the link is certainly there. In the end, what may be the most important separator between them could simply be geography.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Continuing Year of Transition

Here are some numbers from an ABC/Washington Post poll conducted last week:

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Aug. 3-6, 2006. N=1,002 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3


"Do you approve or disapprove of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq?"

Approve – 36%
Disapprove – 62%
Unsure – 2%


"Do you think the number of U.S. military forces in Iraq should be increased, decreased, or kept about the same?"

Increased – 17%
Decreased – 53%
Same – 27%
Unsure – 3%

"Would you describe Iraq as currently in a civil war, not in a civil war but close to one, or is the situation less severe than that?"

Civil War – 34%
Close to Civil War – 51%
Less Severe – 12%
Unsure – 3%


Now clearly we can see that the American people are not happy with things in Iraq and think that we should be leaving there. So here are the “money questions” for those Democrats who wish to campaign on a theme of “It’s not our war but we can do it better.” Or, as I like to call them, the “Year of Transitioners”:


"Do you think the Bush Administration does or does not have a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq?"

Does – 33%
Does Not – 64%
Unsure – 3%

"Do you think the Democrats in Congress do or do not have a clear plan for handling the situation in Iraq?"

Do – 27%
Do Not – 66%
Unsure – 6%


"Which political party -- the Democrats or the Republicans -- do you trust to do a better job handling the situation in Iraq?"

Democrats – 43%
Republicans – 40%
Both –
Neither – 11%**
Unsure – 5%

**With the Democrats holding a slight edge within the margin of error, I would suggest the answer “neither” is most representative here.

Finally, here is a set of numbers for those “Support our Troops” folks who claimed earlier that withdrawing would somehow discount the sacrifices made by those who have died there. This is especially true of the ones who criticized John Kerry for his “wrong war – wrong place – wrong time” analysis by saying that he was dishonoring the fallen troops:

"All in all, considering the costs to the United States versus the benefits to the United States, do you think the war with Iraq was worth fighting, or not?"

Worth Fighting – 39%
Not Worth Fighting – 59%
Unsure – 1%

So, if the majority now believes the “war” was not worth the sacrifice, does that mean they also believe the fallen have died in vain? More importantly to me, if the majority believes that the price has been too high today, how many more lives are they willing to sacrifice before the politicians catch up?

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

25th LD Endorses Hong Tran

Apparently the Democrats in Pierce County practice “big D” Democracy. On Wednesday, August 2nd, the 25th LD Democrats became the second LD to award Democratic senate candidate Hong Tran a dual endorsement with Maria Cantwell for that position. According to LD member, Jim Konschuh, the endorsement came about when he offered a motion from the floor to add Tran’s name to the list of announced candidates and offer the option of a dual endorsement.

In an email, he says, ”…There were about three dozen people at the meeting including numerous candidates or their supporters. There were 24 voting members and the majority of those were obvious Cantwell supporters (you could tell by the buttons).

When I spoke, I talked a little bit about myself, Hong Tran's past, how she differed from Senator Cantwell about the war and about trade agreements and, finally, I stressed that the primary campaign was a campaign of options and that democratic candidates should be provided access to party resources equally.

We used paper ballots with the names of the candidates preprinted on them. When it came time to vote, I made a motion that a dual endorsement option for the senate race be added. Again, I stressed the fairness issue. That motion passed 14 to 10. “I can't tell you specifically how the leadership voted vs. the rank and file since we used paper ballots. I can tell you that I was elated when the chair announced that all candidates had been endorsed. I later asked her how the vote went and she told me that there were 12 votes for Cantwell and 12 votes for dual endorsement.”

The 25th LD, which runs from Milton on the King/Pierce line to South Hill and includes the city of Puyallup, joins the 26th LD in approving dual endorsements for the US Senate race; apparently suggesting that party unity might actually be accomplished by allowing all the members to have a voice. Or, as Jim puts it,

”In the final analysis, I think that it was the rank and file at the meeting that carried the vote. It was the right thing to do.”

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Cantwell Deja Vu

Over here it has been posted that Maria Cantwell has sent her own letter to George Bush about the situation in Iraq. As I was reading that letter, I was struck by a certain déjà vu. Then it hit me – in April, the senator issued a press release about a meeting she had been in on with National Security Advisor, Steven Hadley about Iraq. I thought we might gain some perspective by comparing notes from the two pieces of correspondence. I have highlighted some sentences that I thought were interesting.

April 28,2006
“Today, I took my concerns to the White House regarding our current course in Iraq.
“By selecting a speaker and prime minister-designate, the Iraqis have achieved an important benchmark. I urge them to continue working in the days ahead to support a government of national unity. Much work must still be done. Political and security progress are key to stability in Iraq. We must make this a year of transition for Iraq, leading to less American involvement in the country.

August 4, 2006
This week in testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee General John Abizaid indicated that if rising sectarian violence in Iraq is not stopped, it could lead to full-scale civil war. Mr. President, we must change course and push the Iraqis to find a political solution to their differences so that we can meet our goal of the new Iraqi government taking over security by year end.


April 28,2006
“I was glad to see news reports that the U.S. military is considering bringing as many as 30,000 U.S. troops home by the end of the year. It is a good start, but we need to see more. At the White House, I made it clear that the Bush administration must ensure that the new Iraqi government has the international support to succeed and that Iraqi security forces can take over security. As these benchmarks are met, we must bring our troops home.

August 4, 2006
Finally, it is imperative that the U.S. continue to push efforts to engage the international community in support of the new Iraqi government. On July 27th, Iraq and the United Nations launched an International Compact to bring the international community and multinational organizations together to help Iraq achieve peace and move toward sustainable economic self-sufficiency. I again urge you to support a U.S. Special Envoy to work with the international community to gain political and financial support for the new Iraqi government.
On August 2, Iraqi President Talabani indicated that Iraqi forces would be able to take over security in all 18 Iraqi provinces by the end of the year. Mr. President, we must that transition happen. We must change course and help the Iraqis meet the goals of reaching a political settlement and taking control of their own security this year.



April 28,2006
“Last December, I personally witnessed the Iraqi elections, when nearly 10 million Iraqis voted in a successful election, meeting another critical benchmark. But in the four plus months since, Iraq has faced serious challenges. Sectarian violence plagued Iraq and threatened to turn into civil war. Now the prime minister-designate must get key cabinet ministers in place who are capable of helping to lead the country by stopping the militias and sectarian violence.

August 4, 2006
Many Sunnis took part in the December 2005 election believing that, once the new Iraqi Parliament was seated, constitutional amendments would be enacted to resolve questions about the extent of federalism and the distribution of oil revenue. At this date, however, there has been little progress. I urge you to push the new Iraqi government towards a political settlement and stability.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Maliki has launched a national reconciliation commission to develop strategies for consensus-building and to overcome sectarian divisions. The United States and international community must be aggressive in supporting Iraq in this effort.


April 28,2006
We must make this a year of transition for Iraq, leading to less American involvement in the country.


August 4, 2006
In November 2005, the U.S. Senate adopted the Warner-Frist amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2006 providing that this year should be a period of significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty.

So there you have it. Senator Cantwell still has her eye on those benchmarks of Iraqi political stability and security. She still believes that a man who would nominate John Bolton to be ambassador to the UN (and who believes “hands-on diplomacy” means giving the German Prime Minister a neck rub) will be able or willing to reach out to the broader international community for help. Above all, she has probably repeated the phrase “Year of Transition” – in some form or another – more than any other Democratic politician. As a matter of fact, the only thing not repeated between April and August is any further mention of a troop withdrawal.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

IWR News

Iraq Body Count: 8/07/06
Americans Killed: 2591
Americans Wounded: 19,272
Iraqi Dead: Est.: 44,451
http://icasualties.org/oif/
.......................................................

Latest Confirmed Casualties:

*Lance Cpl. Anthony E. Butterfield, 19, of Clovis, Calif. died July 29 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Sgt. Christian B. Williams, 27, of Winter Haven, Fla. died July 29 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Cpl. Phillip E. Baucus, 28, of Wolf Creek, Mont., died July 29 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Sgt. Ryan D. Jopek, 20, of Merrill, Wis., died in Tikrit, Iraq on Aug. 2.

*Sgt. Dustin D. Laird, 23, of Martin, Tenn., died on Aug. 2 in Rawah, Iraq.

*Cpl. Joseph A. Tomci, 21, of Stow, Ohio, died Aug. 2 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Spc. Hai Ming Hsia, 37, of New York, N.Y., died Aug. 1 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq.

*Staff Sgt. Clint J. Storey, 30, of Enid, Okla. died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on August 4.

*Sgt. Bradley H. Beste, 22, of Naperville, Ill. died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on August 4.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Global Warming? Too Hot To Handle

On Wednesday, Aug. 2nd, the Everett City Council missed a chance to shine, and I blame Mark Olson.

Mind you, the opportunity before them was not about achieving world peace or solving world hunger. It was noways near as big as that. In fact it was a pretty innocuous little resolution having to do with global warming. (http://www.everettwa.org/cityhall/insidecityhall/full_agenda/includes/display_file.asp?id=3088)

Introduced by first term Council Member Paul Roberts, it proposed "adopting and implementing the United States Greenbuild Council's 'Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design' (LEED) program." Referenced in the "Whereas" section was the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, and the fact that Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson is one of 240 US Mayors who have signed the agreement. The resolution would have required the City Administration to 1) undertake an inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, 2) establish a baseline for future actions to reduce said emissions, and 3) by May of 2007, make recommendations on a plan to reduce said emissions. Hardly an earthshaking step. In fact, many US cities, and some European nations, are way out ahead of Everett on this one.

But they don’t have Mark Olson.

Council Member Olson objected strongly, and loudly, to this little resolution, almost as if it posed some sort of threat to his very person. He seemed to question whether global warming was a real threat and, if so, whether people had anything to do with it. Besides, Everett is already doing everything a city could possibly do about the problem, if it is a problem. Further, global warming is an issue far beyond the purview of a quaint little provincial City Council. (Okay, I was pretty torqued by his comments and may not have captured his positions exactly as presented. But I’m pretty close.)

Olson was ably seconded by the Council’s resident naysayer, Arlan Hatloe. No surprise there. Ron Gipson also objected to the resolution on what appeared to be grounds of protocol. Go figure. Drew Nielsen expressed his support.

After some surprisingly spirited debate (for this Council,) Olson moved to table the resolution. More debate ensued, until finally Mayor Stephanson had an opportunity to weigh in.

I leaned forward, holding my breath.

You see, at this point I thought the resolution had a pretty good chance. Despite Olson’s impressive bloviation, I figured the motion to table would fail by a 4 to 3 vote and the resolution would pass by the same margin. Shows how much I know.

The Mayor’s comments turned out to be, shall we say, not what I expected. He could have said something like “Come on, you guys! We’ve got a big problem here and there are things we can be doing to make a difference.” Instead, he adopted a conciliatory tone towards the negative leadership. On the up side, he promised to do much of what the resolution called for, though the LEED part went missing. But in the end, it was clearly okay with him for the resolution to be tabled, most likely never to be heard from again.

The vote to table went almost as I expected. Voting to keep the resolution in play were Council Members Roberts, Nielsen and Overstreet. Voting to table were Council Members Olson, Hatloe, Gipson and . . . well, here is where I guessed wrong.

I consider Council President Brenda Stonecipher to be very intelligent and, overall, pretty fair-minded, though leaning sometimes to the conservative side of things. I assumed she would recognize the magnitude of the problem this resolution was attempting to address, as well as the fact that, little as it was attempting to do, it was a start. Boy is my face red.

I don’t know if Mayor Stephanson’s comments affected President Stonecipher’s vote one way or another. . . or anyone else’s for that matter. But I’m pretty sure they didn’t inspire anyone to stand tall and stride confidently into an uncertain future.

So the naysayers triumphed and the Everett City Council’s conservative reputation was preserved untarnished. Though they seldom ever see a development proposal, large or small, that they aren’t willing to lovingly embrace, they boldly avoided taking even a small step in the direction of maybe - I don’t know - helping to save the human race.

Sigh!

One thing I am glad about, though, is the fact that the debate took place at all, and in an open meeting too, so we could see where everyone stood. For that we have to thank Paul Roberts, maybe the most progressive Council Member Everett has seen in a while.

Thank you, Council Member Roberts.

The Letter

OK, so I have read the story from the Washington Post (Hill Democrats Unite to Urge Bush to Begin Iraq Pullout By Charles Babington and Jim VandeHei) about how the Democrats are finally uniting behind an Iraq policy but as much as I try I just can’t find anything to hang on to here.

”The 12 Democrats, led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (Nev.), include liberals and centrists who have differed over Iraq in the past. The signers included the top Democrats on the House and Senate committees dealing with armed services, foreign relations, intelligence and military spending. Their action puts party leaders on the same page, and it helps clarify the Nov. 7 election as a choice between a party seeking a timeline for withdrawing troops from an unpopular war and a party resisting any such timetable.”

Oh, I see – twelve Democrats agree on a policy. But wait! ” For all its passion, the letter has more significance as a political statement than as a policy alternative. Most Democrats previously have embraced the general idea of beginning a troop drawdown this year, and the letter adds no specifics about how many troops should be withdrawn or how rapidly.” So, just what is in this unifying letter?

Dear Mr. President: ”…Rather, we continue to believe that it is time for Iraqis to step forward and take the lead for securing and governing their own country. This is the principle enshrined in the "United States Policy in Iraq Act" enacted last year. This law declares 2006 to be a year of "significant transition* to full Iraqi sovereignty, with Iraqi security forces taking the lead for the security of a free and sovereign Iraq, thereby creating the conditions for the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq." Regrettably, your policy seems to be moving in the opposite direction.” (*Emphasis TLS)” …We believe that a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq should begin before the end of 2006*. U.S. forces in Iraq should transition to a more limited mission focused on counterterrorism, training and logistical support of Iraqi security forces, and force protection of U.S. personnel.”(Emphasis TLS)

Oh I get it. If we haven’t said “Year of Transition” often or loud enough, this is to make up for it. Hell, have any of you read Senator Levin’s amendment that you just voted on? Now I don’t mean to be critical here but either the authors of the Post article totally blew this or they were just trying to get something in before deadline. I mean, ”…and it helps clarify the Nov. 7 election as a choice between a party seeking a timeline for withdrawing troops from an unpopular war and a party resisting any such timetable.”??? Where is the timetable??? Some troops before the end of the year??? I am assuming that the rest would follow sometime??? Come on! These are supposed to be Democratic leaders!!

You want to send a letter? Try this:

Dear George,

Either commit to a phased deployment of combat troops from Iraq that will see us completely out of that role within six months or you will need to go ask your friends at Halliburton to continue financing your occupation of that country. When the Democrats control the purse strings beginning in January, 2007, we will withhold any and all funding except for the safety and logistical support of our troops to deploy out of Iraq. Sincerely, the Democrats.

Works for me….

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Hong Tran Receives LD Endorsement

Hong Tran, Democratic candidate for US Senate, received the endorsement of the 26th LD Democrats at their meeting on Tuesday, August 1st. In a 43-3 (with 5 abstentions) vote, the 26th awarded a dual endorsement to Maria Cantwell and Hong Tran in the upcoming primary election.

Jesse Blaisdell, campaign manager for Ms Tran relayed portions of an email he received from the 26th LD informing him of the endorsement.

"Please congratulate Hong for an outstanding presentation last night.
She was beyond awesome. Her presentation really made the difference.
Going into the meeting I would have bet on the membership giving a
straight up endorsement to Maria. Hong changed people's minds last
night..."

"We in the 26th by Bylaws Rule have the ability to endorse 2 or more
candidates for any position. So the vote was 42 to 3 with 5 abstentions
for dual endorsement..."

"Thank Hong for her time and effort. She is an outstanding Democrat and
better still an outstanding person. Her future is bright in politics..."

Tran is running on a Progressive platform in opposition to the Patriot Act, so-called Free Trade, and continued US military involvement in Iraq amognst other issues. The fact that someone so far to the left of Maria Cantwell could win a dual endorsement from an LD in the heart of Norm Dicks country is a credit to the candidate. As one who attempted to secure a Democratic endorsement for a former candidate running on the same platform as Tran, I can appreciate the acheivement this represents.

Congratulations to Hong Tran and to Jesse for their hard work thus far.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

IWR News

Iraq Body Count: 8/01/06
Americans Killed: 2578
Americans Wounded: 19,157
Iraqi Dead: Est.: 44,185
http://icasualties.org/oif/
.......................................................

Latest Confirmed Casualties:

*Petty Officer 2nd Class Edward A. Koth, 30, of Towson, Md., died July 26 at Camp Victory, Iraq.

*Lance Cpl. James W. Higgins, 22, of Frederick, Md., died July 27 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Lance Cpl. Adam R. Murray, 21, of Cordova, Tenn., died July 27 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Cpl. Timothy D. Roos, 21, of Cincinnati, Ohio, died July 27 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

*Pfc. Enrique C. Sanchez, 21, of Garner, N.C., died July 27 in Al Anbar province, Iraq.


Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue