NYT Op-Ed: "Back From Iraq at the Great American Diner" (Rep. Patrick Murphy)

[Penndems]

By FRANCIS X. CLINES
Published: April 8, 2007

BENSALEM, Pa.

As the only Iraq war veteran in Congress, Representative Patrick Murphy has his own way of fact-finding when he travels back there these days.

“When I was there in ’03, I had a gunner — Pvt. First Class Juan Santiago — and he’s now Sgt. Juan Santiago, still with the 82nd Airborne Division, on his third deployment, away from his wife and two children,” said the Pennsylvania Democrat, a former paratrooper captain. “Sure, I met with General Petraeus, but I had lunch with Santiago and checked with the other guys who could give me the straight story on what they’re seeing out there.”

Mr. Murphy, a 33-year-old Congressional freshman, paused amid the jukebox boom at the Great American Diner and Pub, a roadhouse where he likes to meet with constituents. “The guys said it’s like Groundhog Day all over, four years later.”

That is the message Mr. Murphy is pressing on voters as they hear each other out in his suburban Philadelphia district during Congress’s two-week break. He cites a tearful female sergeant who sought him out to deliver a three-page plea to “speak truth to power” in Washington.

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/08/opinion/08sun4.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
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I had no idea Representative Murphy was on Karl Rove's "Most Vulnerable" List. Hubby and I will be making a contribution to Patrick Murphy's reelection campaign! ;)

[LynneSin]

1. I've been to the Great American Diner & Pub - what a cool place

PA-08 was my last congressional district and it's so nice to see a democrat representing the district!!

[Penndems]

2. This young man has a bright future ahead of him, Lynne

Whether it's in public service or the private sector, he has nowhere to go but up.

Patrick Murphy is a star in the making. I fully expect him to have a prominent place at the 2008 Democratic Convention.