E-mail your Dino now.

[Oakland]

Fox News critizing Dems is to be expected. What is intolerable is Dems echoing Republican talking points.

"Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman accused Dean of sending "the wrong message to our troops, the wrong message to the enemy, the wrong message to the Iraqi people." House Speaker Dennis Hastert said, "Howard Dean has made it clear the Democratic Party sides with those who wish to surrender." Democratic senators Bill Nelson and Ben Nelson and Democratic Representative Jim Marshall all took issue with their party's chairman. "Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than the scream in Iowa: Both are uninformed and unhelpful," Marshall said.

Every time Dems repeat and get suckered into reacting to Republican talking points, it makes them look like complete fools. So now you have the names of the people who agree with Ken Mehlman and think their own DNC Chair ought to "shut up". Maybe we ought to tell them to shut up.

[RubyDuby in GA]

1. He's not my rep, but I jumped on this the day he made his statement:

Honorable Jim Marshall
United States House of Representatives
515 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515


Representative Marshall,

"Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than the scream in Iowa: Both are uninformed and unhelpful," said Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.),

Sir, with all due respect, Governor Dean, the clear leader of my party, has been proven correct time and time again when everyone in the GOP owned so-called “liberal” media tried to paint him as a raving lunatic. For you to even bring up the “Dean Scream” of Iowa that has been exposed as a trick of sound coming from the microphones used that evening in a filled beyond capacity room full of screaming fans is beyond the pale. You should be more than ashamed of yourself and you owe Governor Dean and all Democrats in this nation an apology.

As for your ridiculous pro-war stance, I realize you are in danger of losing your seat because of the GOP drawn redistricting this year, but kowtowing to Republicans when even they are sick of watching their loved ones being shipped off to die for a lie is, for lack of a better word, stupid.

I am a member of the State Committee of the Democratic Party of Georgia. I volunteer all over this state to help get Democrats elected and you sir have just insured that I will work vigorously to see you retired at the end of your term.

And just so you know what honest to goodness Democrats all over this state are thinking (because I’m not one of the liberal elites of Atlanta), we don’t think Governor Dean’s comments yesterday concerning the unwinnable situation in Iraq are “uninformed and unhelpful” (as you said in article that I read on MSNBC.com), we think his comments were spot on. His comments don’t reinforce the popular perception that the party is weak on military matters. The party is weak because supposed Democrats like you refuse to look reality in the face. I’m shocked that with your service in Vietnam, which I thank you for, you can’t see that the United States’ presence in Iraq causes more harm than good. I’ve talked to numerous men and women who’ve come home from serving there and every single one of them tells the same story. It’s so bad over there that we cannot imagine it and it gets worse every day.

The only problem the Democratic Party has is it is far too lenient with it’s members like you who are so worried about losing their seats that they lose sight of the real issue – protecting the lives of the men and women of our armed services and protecting America from all enemies, both foreign and domestic – for that’s what the pro-war Republicans are: enemies who are weakening America from within. Get out of bed with them while you still can.




Rubyduby in GA
Somewhere, GA

p.s. Governor Dean isn’t the only one who doesn’t think we can win in Iraq – just ask President George W. Bush - August 31, 2004 NBC Today Show interview between Bush and Matt Lauer, speaking about Iraq: "I don't think you can win it," Mr. Bush replied. "But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world."