| Curnock has spent much of his campaign talking about associations, and according to his campaign web site "You are the company you keep..." Apparently the company that Curnock keeps is Senator John McCain and Congressman John Boehner, while the company that Chet Edwards keeps is Senator Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi. When it comes to veterans issues the company you keep speaks volumes. McCain has supported veterans' issues an average of 40.7% of the time, and in 2006 received vote rankings from the Disabled American Veterans of 20%, the Retired Enlisted Association 18%, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave McCain a grade of D. In 2006 Boehner received vote rankings from the Disabled American Veterans of 66%, the Retired Enlisted Association of 7%, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Boehner a grade of C. While in 2006 Obama received voting rankings from the Disabled American Veterans of 80% and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Obama a grade of B+. Pelosi received voting rankings from the Disabled American Veterans of 100% and the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Pelosi a grade of B+.
In Curnock's Open Letter to My Veteran Friends he suggest that the "the vast majority of America's veterans" are conservative. I think it is misleading to suggest that the vast majority of veterans are conservative, especially when you consider that more military members have donated to the Obama Campaign than the McCain Campaign; 859 members of the military donated a total of $335,536 to Obama, while McCain received $280,513 from 558 military donors.
In the same letter Curnock suggest that Congressman Edwards does not support the troops because he voted to "cut off funding and bring our troops back in defeat" by voting for HR-1591, which President Bush vowed to veto because it included a timeline for withdrawal, and because prohibited the use of funds offered under the act to deploy any troops to Iraq unless the military has certified to congressional appropriators in advance. However McCain, who is among the company that Curnock keeps, threatened to cut off unlimited funding for the troops before, and has called for troop withdrawal before.
"There's no reason for the US to remain. The American people want them home. I believe the majority of Congress wants them home. What should be the criteria is our immediate, orderly withdrawal. And if we do not do that and other Americans die then I say that the responsibilities for that lie with the Congress who did not exercise their authority under the Constitution. For us to get into nation-building, law and order, etc., I think, is a tragic and terrible mistake."
-Senator John McCain on Somalia in 1993
We must end the war in Iraq. A war that the American people strongly oppose. A war that has cost the lives of 4,180 of our service members. A war that has cost us $562,500,000,000. A war in which the definition of victory has never been made clear. A war that has gone on 1,994 days after the declaration of Mission Accomplished in Iraq. A war that has gone on even though 2,590 days since September 11, 2001 we have still not captured or killed Osama bin Laden.
I am tired of politicians, pundits and others hiding behind words like retreat and surrender; when they have given up nothing and our soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines have given up everything.
There is more to supporting the troops than securing federal funding for veterans and active duty military members, but it is ridiculous to suggest that Congressman Edwards does not "share the core values of the men and women fight for us." As one of those veterans I can tell you that Chet Edwards unequivocally shares the values of me and my fellow veterans.
Retired four-star General Tom Schwartz, former Commander in Chief of U.S. Forces Korea, said, "In 39 years of military and public service I have never known an elected official who cares so much for our service members and their families. Chet is a leader in fighting for a strong national defense and the well-being of those who serve."
The truth is that as a veteran I am lead to believe that Rob Curnock is much like the rest of his Republican colleagues; they thank veterans with their words but not with their actions.
Political and Social Thought...
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