RNC Mailing Accuses Pa. Democrat Of Helping To Start the War in Iraq

[donheld]

WASHINGTON — Voters in Pennsylvania's rural, conservative 10th Congressional District received an unlikely mailing earlier this month accusing a former Navy lieutenant of helping start the Iraq war.

Quoting a 2004 article, "Lie Factory," that appeared in Mother Jones magazine and relied on interviews with a former Pentagon analyst turned White House foe, Karen Kwiatkowski, the mailing highlights Christopher Carney's role in a small intelligence analysis shop inside the Pentagon before the Iraq war. The top of the mailing warns voters, "Chris Carney failed our nation once." "Don't give Chris Carney a chance to FAIL us again," the next page says.

The mailing may seem par for the course in an election season in which Republican incumbents are vulnerable to attacks on their support for an unpopular war. But its return address is the Republican Federal Committee of Pennsylvania. The mailing's target is Mr. Carney, who some see as one of the national Democratic Party's brightest hopes to wrest control of the House of Representatives in 2006.

The political dissonance was amplified on October 19 when President Bush stumped for Mr. Carney's rival and the Republican incumbent, Donald Sherwood.Two days earlier, Mr. Carney was in New York for a fund-raiser hosted by one of the president's original foreign policy advisers in 2000, Richard Perle.


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[izzie]

1. I never wanted the war in the first place. I am happy to see

people come around to my way of thinking. Even if they had 'Weapons' I felt they would use them on our army so always felt another way could have been used to get Saddam out of power. Fact I never thought the terrorist came from Iraq. Since I am pretty average I could never figure out what they were doing. What is the big fuss about this man in Pa? If he does not like the war the GOP will be after him. If he did like the war he has changed his mind. I have lost your point or have read this from my point of view. Clear it up for me, please.

[radfringe]

2. has nothing to do with the war

Carney is running against incumbent DON "the strangler" Sherwood (R-PA 10)

(see sherwood article for Congressman Don Sherwood Choking Scandal http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2005/05/congressman_mike_sherwood_choking_scandal/ )

When PA went through a redistricting - Sherwood carved out a "safe zone" for himself, one that was predominately repub and loved the kool-aid. The PA primary gave him a bit of a rude awakening - he won the primary, but just barely and against a virtual unknown.

Sherwood's struggle has been two-fold - an anti-incumbent/GOP mood and his "scandal"

trying to paint Carney as being responsible for the Iraq war is just one more desperate attempt by an incumbent in his last throes of desperation.

I'm in PA district 10. got a mailer on it yesterday (yeah I'm sherwood's mailing list, don't know how I got on it.) Although it's not surprising - Sherwood VOTED FOR THE WAR. Carney may have worked in intel - but SHERWOOD APPROVED THE WAR - something sherwood forgets to mention

[izzie]

3. Thanks I was in mind that I was reading it wrong.

Sometimes we tend to read what we are thinking into things.

[radfringe]

4. another WRONG attack mailing: AARP: Ad ‘wrongly attacks’ Carney

AARP: Ad ‘wrongly attacks’ Carney
Spot “mischaracterizes” Democrat’s answer on Social Security question, group says.
By RORY SWEENEY [email protected]
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/15834064.htm

In a letter sent to its members, a nonpartisan advocacy group warned that a televised campaign ad “wrongly attacks” Democratic U.S. represenative candidate Chris Carney by suggesting he might raise taxes and cut Social Security benefits.

The letter from the AARP, an organization for people older than 50, explains that Carney indicated he supports “a balanced Social Security plan to continue the program’s guaranteed benefits for future generations.”

The ad, the letter said, “mischaracterizes” Carney’s answer as supporting a specific plan for balancing Social Security.

Carney’s opponent, U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Tunkhannock, didn’t answer the question, instead using space provided to state his commitment to protecting Social Security without increasing payroll taxes or the retirement age.