Allen West collects $1.4M, closes in on Ron Klein (Lt. Col. Accused of War Crimes, Gaining in Fla.)

Republican Allen West’s campaign will report they collected $1.4 million during the second quarter of 2010, The Palm Beach Post has learned.

That tops the campaign’s previous best quarter, which was $838,000 during the first three months of the year.

The totals mean West has collected a total of $3.5 million for his campaign and has $2.2 million on hand.

U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, reported $2.6 million in cash on hand at the end of the first quarter. He has not yet filed his latest report.

Here’s the whole context.

While serving in Taji, Iraq, on August 20, 2003, as commander of the 2d Battalion 20th Field Artillery, Lieutenant Colonel West was in charge of an interrogation of a civilian Iraqi police officer who was suspected of having pertinent information regarding attacks on American soldiers. According to the Military Investigation, soldiers under West’s supervision assaulted the civilian in an attempt to get him to talk.[3] West admittedly fired a pistol near the policeman’s head, threatened his life, and allowed his troops to physically assault the man.[4][5]

West, who at the time was just short of having 20 years of service, was charged with violating articles 128 (assault) and 134 (general article) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. West was processed through an Article 32 hearing in November 2003, where he admitted wrongdoing, was fined $5,000 over two months for misconduct and assault. He then submitted his resignation, and was allowed to retire with full benefits in the summer of 2004.[4]

At a hearing, West was asked by his defense attorney if he would do it again. “If it’s about the lives of my men and their safety, I’d go through hell with a gasoline can,” he said.[4] Apparently not knowing West’s gun was aimed into a barrel, “Hamoodi cracked and gave information about the planned ambush on West’s convoy, thwarting the attack.” West said there were no further ambushes on U.S. forces in Taji until he was relieved of his leadership post on October 4.” [6] Hamoodi was detained for 45 days, then released without having been charged. West told the New York Times, “It’s possible that I was wrong about Mr. Hamoodi.[7] “After West’s resignation was brought to public attention the next fall, he received over two thousand letters and e-mails from the American public offering him moral support. In addition, a letter was drafted to the Secretary of the Army, its signatories being ninety-five members of Congress in West’s support.[8

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_West_(politician)

This honorable and proven leader has studied, understands and is devoted to the same principles and ideas of liberty as was General George Washington who led America's first battle for liberty for future generations.

At a time when few in either political party can articulate those founding ideas, much less possess a record of selfless devotion to duty, Lt. Col. West may be the one man in America who could wage a successful campaign in 2012.

With his depth of understanding of America's foundations in liberty and its Constitution, his broad knowledge of world history, as well as that of the Middle East, see here, he is the most likely person to expose and defeat the counterfeit ideas of the current President.

Certainly, a debate between the two would be a consequential clash of competing ideas! (When their ideas are articulated, Madison, Adams, Jefferson and Washington will trump Marx and Mao any day).

Future generations deserve their inheritance of liberty.

"The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately by the grace of God." --Thomas Jefferson to Roger C. Weightman, 1826. ME 16:182

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