Antiwar Critics Spare a Senator in a Close Race

[cal04]

Even as Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington has faced frequent criticism for having voted for the war in Iraq, her re-election campaign appears to be benefiting from a cold dose of pragmatism among many of her fellow Democrats.

After looking east to Connecticut, where another supporter of the war, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, lost the Democratic primary last month, many Democrats here say attacking Ms. Cantwell in Tuesday’s primary seems flat-out foolish because it could benefit the well-financed Republican challenger in November.

“Those people were looking for a reason to vote for her anyway,” said Hong Tran, an antiwar advocate running against Ms. Cantwell who has stayed in the primary race despite polling in the low single digits and raising about $40,000.

(snip)
Ms. Cantwell has made other overtures to antiwar voters. On Aug. 9, the day after Mr. Lamont won in Connecticut, she was among many Democrats nationwide who congratulated the new nominee. Six days after that, she released a statement on her campaign blog about her initial vote in favor of authorizing the war in Iraq: “If I knew then everything that I know today and the Republican leadership still brought it up for a vote, I would have voted no.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/us/politics/19cantwell.html?hp&ex=1158638400&en=38e949a3dbd01a54&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[CarlVK]

1. As hardline as I am on the Iraq War, we need to use our brains

and know when to do something like this. We'll have our day when the hearings and or impeachment starts. In the meantime, someone like this woman who has explained she was given BS on which to formulate her vote for use of force, should be given a hand. I cut someone like her much more slack than Democrats who CONTINUE to support this criminal action against Iraq (Sen. Clinton, are you listening?)

[swag]

2. Her Alito cloture vote gave me heartburn as well, but I still gave

to her campaign.

[Greeby]

3. *sigh* This whole pragmatism thing gets me down

After all, you're stuck with the decision for 6 years. Voting for who you really want in the primary is not gonna tilt a seat towards a Repuke. In fact, I'd have thought that having a real Democrat who stands fully against the war might improve the chances of retaining the seat

But then, I'm a furriner, so what do I know? :shrug:

[CarlVK]

4. We went overboard on this nonsense in 2004, I think

and I think it helped lose us the election.

Back then I was calling an end to the stupid war, culpability for the rethug war criminals etc....and my good Democratic friends said "Listen we'll get to that, just vote with these DLC types just this once and then we'll fix it all."

Well, we saw how that went. I'm not willing to put my ethical urges on hold anymore. "Pragmatically" going with GOPlite doesn't work, plus it's like poison in my mouth.

[skipos]

5. I don't see the problem in voting against her in the primary

but I do see a problem in not voting for the winner of the primary.