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From Wikipedia on this 'rat. Read the part about pushing for "we need an exit stategy out of Iraq". Just another rat.

Paul L. Hackett III (born circa 1962) is a personal injury lawyer from Ohio who on June 14, 2005, won the Democratic nomination for Congress to replace Rob Portman in the Second District of Ohio (map) and will face Republican nominee Jean Schmidt in the general election on August 2, 2005. Hackett would be the first veteran of the Iraq War in Congress if elected.

A resident of Indian Hill, a wealthy Cincinnati suburb, Hackett is a retired major in the United States Marine Corps Reserve who has served in the Iraq War. He has a B.A. from Case Western Reserve University and his J.D. from the Cleveland Marshall College of Law. He practices law in downtown Cincinnati with the Hackett Law Offices. He is a member of the National Rifle Association.

Hackett was elected to the city council of Milford, Ohio, a city in Clermont and Hamilton Counties, in 1995 to replace Chris Imbus, who was recalled from office by a vote of 410 to 86. In the recall election on May 2, he defeated businessman Jacques E. Smith by a vote of 388-81. On the Milford council, he opposed efforts to rezone a parcel of land in order to retain the Milford post office within the city limits. He resigned from the council in September 1998 to devote more time to his family and his law practice. He was replaced on the council by James Gradolf. When he purchased a home in Indian Hill in 2000, the transaction made The Cincinnati Enquirer's column of most expensive real-estate transactions in the area.

Hackett decided to run because "with all that this country has given me, I felt it wasn't right for me to be enjoying life in Indian Hill when Marines were fighting and dying in Iraq," he told The Cincinnati Post. In his bid for Congress to replace Rob Portman, Hackett was endorsed by the county Democratic parties in four of the seven counties in the district, those in Brown, Clermont, Hamilton, and Pike Counties. Party leaders chose to support him rather than Charles W. Sanders, the Democratic nominee in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004. Tim Burke, chairman of the party in Hamilton County said "The blunt reality is that Charles Sanders can't win the 2nd District seat."

Hackett was also endorsed by labor unions: the United Auto Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and the Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council. The Dayton Daily News, a Democratic paper, endorsed Hackett, calling him an "articulate, down-to-earth exponent of moderate Democratic views"

Hackett told The Cincinnati Enquirer that the Iraq War has not been worth the price. "We need to develop an exit strategy and execute it. That strategy must commit 100% of our efforts to training the 140,000 Iraqi soldiers to do the jobs that the United States is doing now. We cannot again falsely declare victory."

The Cincinnati Enquirer, a paper with a Republican editorial position, endorsed Hackett in the Democratic primary. The paper editorialized "he is not an ideologue, but someone willing to listen to different points of view and to act on the basis of what he believes will best serve his constituents." The paper also called attention to his leading a recall against members of the Milford city council and "his ability to take charge of a situation, whether it is a dysfunctional local government in Ohio, or setting up the basics of a civil government in a city in Iraq."

Hackett was undaunted by the Republican composition of the district, which Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report said was the 57th most Republican in America. Hackett claimed:

No single party owns this district. It's not a Republican district, it's not a Democratic district. It's actually the seat of the citizens of the 2nd District. They deserve an opportunity to make an informed decision as to who will represent them in Washington, D.C.
Jane S. Anderson, an adjunct professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati who has unsuccessfully run for the Cincinnati city council and the Ohio House, told the Associated Press

It's definitely worth it to the Democrats to put in the effort if only to keep the party energized. Even if Paul Hackett loses, it is very important for the party for him to do well. It could be seen as a sign of opportunities for Democrats in other GOP strongholds.
Hackett is married to Suzanne C. Hackett. They have three children.