WP: Centrist Faces the GOP's Iraq Problem

[Pirate Smile]

Centrist Faces the GOP's Iraq Problem
Pro-War Rep. Shays On Defensive in Conn.

By Shailagh Murray
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 6, 2006; Page A01

NORWALK, Conn. -- How nervous are Republicans that the Iraq war could hurt them in November? Nervous enough that Rep. Christopher Shays visited the same senior center twice in one week to defend his stand.

The nine-term House veteran is in full campaign mode, explaining his unbending support for the war to confounded voters such as Anne Donnelly, a resident of the Marvin. She has supported Shays in previous elections but complained that his bullish stance on Iraq seemed at odds with news reports that portray a country in a tailspin.

"It'll take a miracle to get out of there," Donnelly told her tablemates as Shays worked his way around the dining room recently. "This is a mess, and we need people asking questions -- which I don't think the Republicans are doing."

For nearly 20 years, Shays has distinguished himself as a reliably moderate House Republican. His middle-of-the-road stands on the environment, abortion and gay rights have irked many in his conservative party while affording him job security in his affluent, Democratic-leaning district. Not so with Iraq, the "sentinel issue of our time," as Shays describes it. He has strayed deep into loyalist GOP territory, and that could cost him his job.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/05/AR2006040502158.html

[EllieGreen]

1. And this is why the Dems will win the next election.

Thanks for the article...always like reading good news! :-)

[cosmicdot]

2. why did this get sent to the Editorial forum?

I know a lot of news stories are editorialized vs. fact/truth, press release scribed vs investigative journalism ...

i.e., as 54nickel, in today's stock market watch, highlighted from a bloomberg article, "Treasury's Snow Suffers From Faint Support in Robust Economy" ... the reporter wrote: "The economy is one of the few bright spots for Bush." :spray: Oh, really!?!? The writer wasn't quoting any person. Just stated as fact.

but, this Shays article was written by a WashPost Staff Writer, Page Page A01

How about moving it to GD/Politcs?
It deserves broader readership.


at any rate, has Shays opposed much of the Bu$h agenda between 2001-today?

seems a 'centrist' would have opposed more of it as extreme as it's been