Wednesday, September 19, 2007

As the fringe becomes more polarizing

Two quotes from dems on the war in Iraq as quoted in this sunday's Tribune:

Rep. Christopher Carney, (D-PA) - "Certainly, the far left of my party is unhappy with my votes because I vote very similarly to Mr. Kirk, but I'm taking the votes I think need to be made for the nation's security."

10th Dem Primary Candidate Dan Seals - "Mark Kirk has been an architect, supporter and cheerleader over the last six years of the worst foreign policy debacle in a generation. The fact is we deserve elected officials with the courage and judgment to make America safer, not continue to support a disaster."

and one from Kirk:

Rep Mark Kirk, (R-IL) - "It's a great reality check for me because this allows me to sort of be very in touch with the 2 million Americans who are in uniform. Sometimes you can sense a real disconnect between Americans who wear the uniform and everybody else."

Carney and Kirk currently serve in both the armed forces reserves and in congress, and I would argue that both have the kind of courage and judgement needed to make hard decisions and not simply toss allegations without solutions. Kirk attended the meeting mentioned above and has been a leader of efforts to reach a bipartisan agreement. Seals has only indicated a willingness to engage in partisan electioneering on the backs of our armed forces.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

If you like Kirk because he has served in the military, but you don't like the Iraq occupation, check out Green Party candidate Dave Kalbfleisch. He's a recent veteran, and he will vote against all funding to continue the war.

www.electdave.org

Unincorporated Middle said...

I have alot of respect for Kalbfeisch - both because of his military service and for his willingness to run for office. Campaigning can get very ugly - and I think Dave is getting unfair treatment from some dems. I can't agree with his position on the war - I think it is our mess and we have a responsibility to find a solution. But I do appreciate his commitment to his views and his ability to engage in civilized debate.

ArchPundit said...

What is the 'solution' that Mark Kirk is seeking?

The 'plan' he has put forward does nothing except reduce the number of troops to pre-surge levels that have to occur anyway...

Other than that, the plan does not require anything. It is a statement of principle the President has explicitly rejected over and over again.

How is making an empty statement good?

Anonymous said...

another choice- whaen did Mr. kalbfleisch serve the miltary and what did he do? Why is he a better choice than Footlik or Seals? Is he working now? From what i have heard neither Seals or Footlik are employed and are running for Congress during their unemployment stint.