Posted on 07/26/2005 11:33:15 PM PDT by neverdem
CINCINNATI, July 22 - In the Second Congressional District of Ohio, which Republicans have controlled for the last two decades, the quickest route to political oblivion could be the one chosen by Paul L. Hackett: calling President Bush a "chicken hawk" for not serving in Vietnam and harshly criticizing the decision to invade Iraq.
But Mr. Hackett, the Democratic candidate in the Aug. 2 special Congressional election, is not an ordinary politician. Until four months ago, he was serving in the Marines, commanding a civil affairs unit in Iraq.
If Mr. Hackett is elected, he will become the first member of Congress to have served in the Iraq war. That alone has helped Mr. Hackett, a 43-year-old lawyer, unexpectedly turn this potential walkover into a sharply contested race.
"When you tell people he just got back from Iraq, they stop and listen," said Timothy Burke, the chairman of the Democratic Party in Hamilton County, one of seven southern Ohio counties in the district. "He'd not have nearly as many people paying attention to him if it weren't for that initial grabber."
Mr. Hackett's Republican opponent, Jean Schmidt, has poured more than $200,000 of her own money into her campaign and traveled tirelessly across the district. Her campaign has received tens of thousands of dollars from national Republican committees, and Mr. Bush has agreed to record a telephone message that will be delivered the weekend before the special election.
"I'm a runner, and when you are overconfident, that's when you see your competition's shadow," said Ms. Schmidt, 53, who has completed 54 marathons. "And I won't see his."
The candidates are competing to fill the seat held for 12 years by Rob Portman, who resigned to become Mr. Bush's trade representative.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
This gyrene could be a real fly in the ointment.
ping
He fits right in with Hillary and the new demoRAT "Centrist" party. Not !
He is against parental notification, for partial birth abortion, he is for raising social security taxes.
Besides gun rights he is a typical liberal democrat. He uses the dem talking points on iraq that it was a diversion.
The Ohio dem party needs an ass kicking for the charade they put on in the recount. They are sore losers, the whole bunch of them from kucinich to marcy kuptur to sherrod brown what a classless party.
But in reality, he doesn't agree with the President at all...
I haven't seen one ad from Jean Schmidt yet... perhaps her polls show her so far out in front that she doesn't need to advertise...
Calling the President a child molester is a new, vile low for democrats.
Paul L. Hackett: calling President Bush a "chicken hawk" for not serving in Vietnam and harshly criticizing the decision to invade Iraq.
The term "chicken hawk" is completely ignorant. After all, does one have to join the police to expect the bank to be protected?
It's a dullards lame argument.
is this guy frank lautenberg's adopted son?
Especially since W *did* volunteer for VN duty.
It's not his fault that the USAF won air superiority, so that the type of plane he flew was no longer needed!
He didn't avoid serving in Nam, or use his family's influence...
He chose a more dangerous mission..
If the Soviets launched their bombers (when he served the bulk of the Soviet nuclear arsenal), the plan was to send our interceptors to catch them over the bering strait and the air space between there and the lower 48 states, and splash them into the ocean there before any substantial damage could be done.. If you had to eject, your life expectency in the polar north pacific was 3-5 minutes, AT MOST....
LETS MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE LEFT, HE CHOSE A MORE DANGEROUS MISSION--THAN BEING SHOT AT IN THE MEKONG DELTA or phantom trips to Cambodia that nobody knows about... That he did not have to actually splash any Soviet bombers is irrelevant, that was their job if the time came...
Paul Hackett talks like he lead troops in combat in Iraq.
Granted anywhere in Iraq is dangerous and you are always suseptible to an IED but Hackett was a civil affairs officer he makes it like he was an infantry soldier.
He'll get his ass kicked, and then be the new Max Cleland Poster Boy for the 'rats. What a maroon.
Apparently publicly selling out your fellow servicemembers upon return from combat duty is an immediate qualification for office in the Dem party.
I'll not question the service of anyone who commanded troops in Iraq; especially a SpecOps unit.
I am from this district in Ohio, and I will not vote for Hackett for the same reason as I'd not vote for any liberal, but there is (at present) absolutely no negative information about his command time.
I have no problem with any civilian citizen disagreeing with the WAY a war is conducted. I have problems with soldiers speaking publicly against decisions that have been made...their job is to salute the flagpole and carry on.
I have problems with civilians who attempt to undermine their nation's direction by betraying the soldiers who are faithfully fighting that war for them.
Personally, I believe the war in Iraq is a just war, is a necessary war, and will be seen, once we win, as a history-changing war, settling the long islamo-fascist designs toward world domination.
This Dem's comment calling Prez a "chickenhawk" really ticks me off.
President Bush DID serve bravely, perhaps as bravely as some soldier who commanded a civilian brigade, or whatever it was he did in Iraq.
Civil Affairs, Psyops, Aviation, SF, Ranger, Delta, etc. are all units under the Special Operations command. Go to the following or other USASOC links:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/ca-psyop.htm
A Civil Affairs unit would have been working directly with the Iraqis working on assistance to the population and on intel. The Units of the Civil Affairs & PsyOps Command are:
Units
4th PSYOP GP (AR)
96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne)
Reserve Units
2nd PSYOP GP (AR)
7th PSYOP GP (AR)
350th CA Command
351st CA Command
352nd CA Command
353rd CA Command
361st CA Brigade
412th CA Battalion
451st CA Battalion
Facilities
Fort Bragg, NC
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