Last Sunday Senator John Ensign of Nevada stood before the state party convention in his state and said that
anyone who criticizes the War in Iraq or its execution is basically a traitor.
"Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy - let me tell you, I say this without reservation - they have hurt our military, they have emboldened the enemy," Ensign told Republicans gathered for the state party convention on Saturday.
"They're fighting for the freedom of speech, they're fighting for the right to protest, they're fighting for all those things. But when we are at war, especially the leaders in this country need to be very, very careful of what they say and what they do," Ensign said.
He also raised the possibility that he lies when he thinks that his true feelings go against his
party ideology nation. This makes perfect sense: what our nation needs most right right now is more lying politicians (what would we do without them?), and all we need to do to win the War in Iraq and bring our troops home is lie to ourselves.
Yesterday, in response to this utter nonsense, IAVA PAC's Jon Soltz sent Senator Ensign a letter demanding an apology:
May 24, 2006
The Honorable Senator John Ensign
356 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Ensign,
I read with great disappointment your recent comments to the Nevada Republican Party Convention that those who question the execution of the war in Iraq have only "emboldened the enemy." I am writing to ask for your apology for that statement.
I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the United States Army, and have come home to lead the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America PAC (http://www.iavapac.org/), an organization dedicated to aiding those running for public office who served in Iraq and Afghanistan honorably.
IAVA PAC is non-partisan; we have endorsed members of both parties for Congress. We are not anti-war.
The wellbeing of our troops and a victory strategy in Iraq are both dependent upon the servicemembers and their leaders being able to ask the tough questions and to hold our leaders accountable - without fear of being told they are "emboldening the enemy."
Because the tough questions weren't asked by you and others, American troops went to war under-equipped, undermanned and without a viable victory strategy. Tough questions must continue to be asked - lest we repeat past mistakes, or make new ones, that will put our troops needlessly at risk.
Because of the previous failure of politicians to speak for us, we have been forced to speak for ourselves on matters regarding the war in Iraq. Your comments are insulting to those of us who have chosen to do so. For that, I demand your apology.
Rest assured, those who served in the war, like our candidates, will continue to ask the tough questions. We deserve to do so without fear of a U.S. Senator telling us that we are "emboldening the enemy." We have risked our lives in service to our nation, and deserve better than to have you insinuate that our questioning the execution of this war only helps those we put our lives on the line to fight.
The truth is, if we are to fully provide for our troops, we need more questions, not fewer.
Rather than wait for a form letter back from your office, I would appreciate your apology in person. I will be at your office at 1pm on Thursday, May 25th - tomorrow. I look forward to speaking with you then about this matter.
Sincerely,
Jon Soltz
Veteran, Operation Iraqi Freedom
Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America Political Action Committee
Today, when Jon went to Ensign's office he was met by a staffer, who told him that Sen. Ensign would not meet with Soltz.
Sen. Ensign, I have a suggestion for a slogan for your upcoming reelection campaign:
Vote for Senator John Ensign: Because what our nation needs right now is a man brave enough to lie to the American people; a man smart enough to hide from those who he speaks against; and a man with the wisdom to not learn from his mistakes.
Crossposted at Blue Force