Posted on 09/04/2004 6:32:38 PM PDT by NavySEAL F-16
Hefley’s McCain bashing riles challenger
By ED SEALOVER - THE GAZETTE
Congressional candidate Fred Hardee blasted Congressman Joel Hefley on Friday, saying remarks he made against Sen. John McCain should offend veterans.
A Hefley spokeswoman shot back that Hardee’s allegations are so baseless that “they do not meet the laugh test.”
The controversy revolves around a comment that Hefley, a Republican from Colorado Springs, made about fellow Republican McCain at a GOP gathering Thursday night.
One night earlier, the Arizona senator criticized a speech at the Republican National Convention in which Democratic Sen. Zell Miller bashed John Kerry. McCain said the harsh tone against the Democratic presidential nominee could backfire on Republicans.
Hefley, commenting on the critique, told the crowd at a downtown Springs restaurant that McCain “is a self-promoting idiot.”
The remarks angered Hardee, a Democrat who is challenging Hefley in the 5th district race. He called for Hefley to retract the statement, apologize and resign.
A Vietnam veteran, Hardee took offense to Hefley’s attack on one of the most decorated veterans in Congress. McCain was a prisoner of war for years in Vietnam and earned accolades for not giving up information despite repeated torture.
“To me, he’s just picking on veterans or great Americans when he talked about John McCain like that,” Hardee said. “If he talked that way about one of the people who suffered most in Vietnam, I can’t imagine what he thinks about other veterans.”
Hefley press secretary Sarah Shelden, however, said there is no link between the 18-year congressman’s dislike of McCain and his feeling about veterans. Hefley has been endorsed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and has spent much of his career working to increase military funding and upgrade veteran health care, she said.
“Mr. Hardee is grasping at straws if he thinks an attack against Sen. McCain is an attack against all veterans,” Shelden said.
She did not back away from the congressman’s criticism of his party mate, though.
Hefley’s dislike for the outspoken senator stems from their work on military budget bills.
McCain does not like to negotiate, is “unnecessarily adversarial” behind closed doors and then takes all credit in the news, Shelden said.
The firebrand senator has gained a following among Democrats and Republicans because of his maverick style, which sometimes pits him against his party.
McCain is so popular that Kerry approached him about running as his vice president this year.
Shelden said many inside Congress dislike McCain’s confrontational style. Hefley has been open about their differences and isn’t alone in his feelings, she said.
“He’s not shy about letting people know he disagrees with Sen. McCain’s brand of politics,” Shelden said. “This is a personality difference, and it has nothing to do with the fact that (McCain) served honorably and has a superb war record.”
A message left at McCain’s Washington office was not returned.
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0184 or
sealover@gazette.com
LOL
The only problem for Hardee, is that in this hyper GOP and conservative CD, probably about 60% of the voters think that Hefley got it exactly right. Hardee is running in the wrong CD.
send that man some campaign money - he dares speak the truth!
The world turned upside down. A dem dissing a repub for dissing a repub who dissed a dem who dissed another dem.
Look out! I think we have a Zell Miller in the republican party now! :^)
Can you imagine having to live with that guy? Anybody remember how the inferno on the Forrestal started? I've half-seriously always wondered if that was really an accident.
Just kidding ... I think ...
Hefley gets a donation from jwalsh07
Attendees at John McCain's 69th bday party this past week:
NBC Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, ABC Peter Jennings, Barbara Walters, Ted Koppel and George Stephanopoulos, CBS’s Mike Wallace, Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer, CBS News President Andrew Heyward, ABC News chief David Westin, Tim Warner CEO Richard Parsons, CNN’s Judy Woodruff and Jeff Greenfield, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, CNBC’s Gloria Borger, PBS’s Charlie Rose, U.S. News & World Report publisher Mort Zuckerman, Washington Post Chairman Don Graham, New York Times columnists William Saffire and David Brooks, author Michael Lewis and USA Today columnist Walter Shapiro.
Hefley doesn't need your money John. Just send some more to Thune. :)
Ok, will do. :-}
Okay. I could have sworn I've seen the same verbage somewhere.....Oh,now I remember. It was in Webster's Dictionary under the definition of U.S. Senator.
That Hardee would try and equate criticism of McCain, who happens to be a veteran, as an attack on all veterans says that he is either an idiot himself, or is a disingenuous lying demagogue, or is both.
That is a typical leftwing tactic. You oppose racial preferences? Then you are anti-civil rights. You amnesty for illegal aliens? Then you are anti-immigrant.
It would be sad if it werent' so despicable.
Nail-hitting!
I disagree with him, McCain is a weasel but I will grant him his opinion. Maybe I'll just adopt it McCain is a self-promoting weasel.
Good for my rep!
Gotta love a plain spoken guy who tells the truth!
I'm very proud of my rep Hefley! He's in no trouble of being defeated here in Colorado Springs.
Ditto.
Feel the love!
Why, just donate to both! And don't stop there! There are so many worthy candidates out there to give money to...
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