Patrick Kennedy stands firm on Iraq

By John McDaid | Friday, 25 May 2007

I take back every bad thing I said about his last newsletter. Just got his latest five minutes ago, and this is exactly the timely, focussed communication we need. Rep. Kennedy deserves all our thanks and support for his vote yesterday refusing to cave into the Administration's fearmongering about the supplemental. Says Kennedy:

This bill, however, does not honor nor protect our troops. Without accountability and a clear change in policy, this bill simply becomes another blank check for President Bush to continue waging this war without regard to reality or the demands of the American people. The Congress has an obligation to provide our troops with the funding they need to succeed, but it is under no obligation to support a policy that leaves our troops trapped in the cross-fire of a civil war.

This Administration's disregard for the reality in Iraq, for what a clear majority of Americans now demand, and what is in the best interest of our long-term national security has gone on for too long.
Read the whole thing

Thank you Rep. Kennedy.

Tags: 
Localblogging, 02871

Comments

Viking

Fri, 05/25/2007 - 9:55pm

Who would think that it come to the point that a prominent democrat like Patrick Kennedy would be saying that the "Administration" has a disregard for reality - and that most Americans would agree with him? In Portsmouth, we also have a group of people who willingly disregard reality - a group of malcontents who pose as protectors of the taxpayers, but who calmly lie whenever it suits their purpose, what ever that may be. Personally, my guess is that their greatest support comes from the tax-cut-for-the-wealthy-crowd, but anyone's guess as to their primary motivation is probably as good as mine. This organiziation & their supporters & those elected officials who consistently pander to them have only complaints and accusations, and nothing positive to offer. Ironically, it is the threat that they pose to our community that makes people like me motivated to remain informed about our what our elected officials are saying and doing. To this end, a tip 'o the hat to Hard Deadlines.

John McDaid

Sat, 05/26/2007 - 10:05am

Hi, Viking...
Agree completely; the PCC and their fellow travellers pushed me into localblogging. I'd much rather be at home with Jack than sitting through Council meetings, and I would be, if they hadn't pinned my bullshit detector.

I've lived here, more or less, since 1991, but it wasn't until 2004, when I got into a flamewar in the Sakonnet Times with a "global-warming- is-a-hoax" wingnut that I started thinking seriously about blogging Portsmouth. Living fourteen feet above mean high tide makes that particular flavor of anti-science disinformation very, very personal. And it was no coincidence that my interest in local politics got kicked up a notch when my son started in public school, two weeks after a grim Saturday morning in the Tent. (And many thanks to the SOS folks and PSD staff who set up the Elmhurst camp so both Karen and I could vote.)

I genuinely believe, in a hopeful, naive, Jeffersonian way, that the people will make good decisions if they are given good information. I may be partisan, but I do my best to be accurate.

Cheers.
-j

Delilah

Sun, 06/10/2007 - 4:27pm

a Patrick Kennedy fan, hmm? The next time MADD calls me on the phone for a donation I'am going to ask them a very important question first...How many of the MADD members voted for Patrick Kennedy's re-election?umm... just curious. Here is a man who can obviously get away with DUI's(more than one,0n record),and remain popular. How hypocritical,and worse....how very dangerous! You may be crazy enough to vote for him, but are you crazy enough to let him give your kids a ride?! Personally I don't vote for anyone that I can't trust to be responsible behind the wheel!

p.s. Please spare me the..."everyone makes mistakes" BS...He has had plenty of examples set in his family to know wrong, from right,he has seen it up close, and personal. It was a total disregard for the safety of everyone!

John McDaid

Wed, 06/13/2007 - 7:34am

Hi, Delilah...
If you bothered to read the backstory here, you would find that I am no uncritical fan of Patrick Kennedy's; however, my focus is on his positions, not on his personal life. Do I think he fucked up? Absolutely. But I am not going to participate in keeping some "DUI" meme alive, any more than I focus on those allegations against our current President. We cannot change the past, but we can commit to change the future.

I agree that "everyone makes mistakes" is bullshit. What I am not so sure of is that we should blame people for chemical imbalances in the brain which dispose them to addictive behaviors. Should we blame people who are depressed because of a serotonin imbalance? I agree that we might not want to elect them until they sought treatment, but barring anyone from public office with a history of chemical imbalance seems a pretty slippery slope.

I have great respect for Rep. Kennedy because he is fighting for mental health care on parity with "regular" medical coverage. If he has had to struggle with those medical problems himself, in my mind that only makes him a more effective champion for that cause.

Kind Regards.
-john

Delilah

Tue, 06/19/2007 - 2:49pm

"What I am not so sure of is that we should blame people for chemical imbalances in the brain which dispose them to addictive behaviors. Should we blame people who are depressed because of a serotonin imbalance?"

No,and No...really...but to get behind the wheel of a car,(more than once) after drinking is an entirely different subject. And I'm not speaking from anger alone.

Defend,deny,justify,and enable...will only make the problem much more serious,than it already is.

John McDaid

Tue, 06/19/2007 - 2:57pm

Hi, Delilah...
Please tell me how saying somebody fucked up is defending them? Denying? Justifying?

On the last one, I'll have to take a pass. Enabling Patrick Kennedy is way above my pay grade.

Kind Regards.
-j