How dare you, sir? You have done an excellent job representing me these past four months, and I have highly approved of the job you've done. And when it came to Iraq, you had vocally called for the withdraw of American forces from that unwinnable war. You joined 168 of your colleagues and voted for the McGovern bill. Why, then, did you cave and vote for the war funding that does not have any timelines? As someone who actively supported you, went to a rally, and even had the opportunity to meet with you personally, I feel confused, disappointed, and betrayed.
Since last summer the op-ed you wrote for the Daily Times has hung on my door as a constant reminder of how true those words were and are. "I firmly believe in a planned end to our military engagement in Iraq within the next year." You then went on to explain that the ONLY extensions should be those granted to give the military brass more time to remove troops; not to extend the mission in pursuit of "ever changing goals" that will always remain "elusive"; and CERTAINLY not as one of the worst and least-liked presidents in history sends more of our young men and women to die for his pride and vanity. All this bill does is allow George Bush to continue to let more Americans and Iraqis die for another 19 months until he is replaced. That is more than unacceptable. It is immoral. It is evil.
What puzzles me most is that, until now, you had been flawless in understanding and taking on the lies this Administration and its surrogates have used to smear opponents of this occupation. Why now have you fallen for their smear that failing to give Mr. Bush what he wants is tantamount to endangering our troops? As your constituent, I demand answers, and I demand accountability.
Sincerely,
Stephen Mann