Gordon Smith (R-OR?) sounds sane.

[YDogg]

Based on quick comments on Countdown. I know nothing else about him; he might just be another kool-aid drinker most of the time.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. He's a hack.

Who's trying to save his own ass in a blue state.

[NNN0LHI]

2. ...and up for reelection in '08 n/t

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. yep

exactly.

[Eric J in MN]

3. Senator Gordon Smth (R-OR) is up for re-election in 2008,

...in a blue state.

He started criticizing the war after the 2006 election.

[Freddie Stubbs]

15. Exactly what I was going to say

;)

[KingFlorez]

4. He's trying to save his seat

He'll be at the top of the Democratic target list for the 2008 election.

[babylonsister]

5. He may be a hack, but he's now an anti-war hack. I'll take him! nt

[originalpckelly]

21. Yes, that's my sentiment. The more anti-war hacks, the better...

he'll balance out Lieberman.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

7. Just heard him back funding for Bush's "surge" on NPR.

So much for his "anti-war" veneer.

[pdxmom]

8. Smith says whatever he thinks it'll take to get elected. He's a

total supporter of Bush and his war. That is, until he was what happened in the midterms...suddenly he started whistling a new tune.

As an Oregonian, I've seen what a liar and fake this guy is, and despite whatever crap he's saying now, as soon as his seat is safe, he'll crawl right up the Repukes' butts.

[Caoimhe]

10. I agree with you on most everything

but to be honest, he has broken with his party on several issues...stem cell research, education, health care, and he's been pretty forward on environmental issues, including coming up with a bipartisan bill with Ron Wyden to include the Mt Hood Wilderness into the National Reserve, protecting it from those who would exploit it. Yes, he's a mormon, and on that note he and I will differ on a huge lot of things, but I think that as I've grown older, El Gordo is one of the GOP Senators that actually has potential. Maybe it's because he's an Oregonian. Don't forget, Tom McCall was a Republican too. Just not anything like these greedy sons of bitches leading the GOP now.

[pdxmom]

13. I will never forgive him for supporting the Repukes in trying to

overturn the Death with Dignity law here. He knew that the majority of the people he represented supported that law (and supported it twice), yet he still sided with the administration to challenge it. I don't call that representation and I don't trust him.

[Arugula Latte]

19. Agreed. I despise him.

And, I despise him all the more because he likes to put on a veneer of being a semi-sane Repuke, when he's actually done Bushco's bidding over and over again.

[Caoimhe]

9. As an Oregonian I agree with all the sentiments about him being a hack

but...

I think there is one difference. He DID condemn the war before the Nov Elections. He used to be a hack. Since then, he had a son commit suicide, and Gordo seems to have grown a bit of a spine, however small. I think if he were to be properly embraced, he could pull a Jim Jeffords and move to the Independent category. Sure, it's a safe place to be, given the President's present approval ratings and the dismal public sentiment about the so called "successes in Iraq" but I happen to think that we can only win a lot of folks over by embracing them as they (how do I say this politely) "figure it out" and stop drinking the koolaid?

I am pleased to be an Oregonian and have Ron Wyden as my Senior Senator. Having El Gordo as my Junior Senator has turned out better than I'd hoped, if only that this journey has made me realize he isn't as rabid as his party.

[hogwyld]

23. As an Oregonian

May every single puke go the way of those birds in Austin. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me...

[depakid]

24. As an Oregonian I will NEVER forgive him

for voting for the Enzi bill, which would have taken everyone's mental health parity away (along with insurance mandates for breast cancer screening, maternal care and diabetes management).

This AFTER his son commits suicide (likely due to depression and/or bipolar disorder).

This guy uses his son's death to his tearful advantage every chance he gets, but would have taken away the rights of MILLIONS to have mental health coverage.

This is no "moderate." This is an opportunistic hypocrite who walks lock step in barrel with the far right any time push comes to shove (as always, Republicans allow their members a "conscience vote" to appease their constituents- so long as it doesn't affect the outcome).

I hope Oregonians see through this man- and send him back to his pea packing plant where he belongs

[Rick Myers]

11. A stopped clock is correct twice a day... n/t

[stevedeshazer]

12. Gordon Smith is a phony

This might help, from a native Oregonian. Me.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Steve_DeShazer/16

[kentuck]

14. He's tryingto save his ass...

in the next election. Don't be deceived by his "transformation".

[npincus]

16. don't care about his motives... let them all flip like pancakes

and let Congress can surge against the LUNATIC's destructive, deadly warpath.

[Parche]

17. gordy

He is up for re election, and I will do everything in my power to defeat him
here in Oregon

[BlueIris]

18. Smith is just as smarmily neo-con as the rest of them.

He cares about his own ass...and that's about it.

[YDogg]

20. I appreciate the feedback ...

... insofar as I know very little about him. I am sorry to hear about his son's suicide.

[MissB]

22. He isn't. Unless you're talking about suicide.

And then, because he had to deal with the death of his son by suicide, he actually has a heart. He wasn't born with it though - it was forced on him.