Recently I wrote a letter to Senator Kohl critical of his decision to vote for the condemnation of an ad in a newspaper--MoveOn's BetrayUs ad. His response agreed with my (nonexistent) condemnation of the ad. Since what I actually wrote about was my concern that he had caved in to right-wing talking points in making the vote critical of the ad, and that this was a waste of senatorial time I have to conclude that someone isn't listening to his constituents.
I also have to conclude that writing to him again is only going to register the reverse of my actual intent again, so I thought I'd respond to him here.
Read your mail senator. It does not mean what you apparently think it means.
The senator's letter is included below for the sake of completeness. Unfortunately, since mine was sent via a web-form I no longer have a copy or I would include that as well. Suffice to say that it was extremely critical of the senator's vote, and pretty clear on the subject. My day job is writing novels (WebMage, Cybermancy) so when I say that I made the point unmistakable, I'm fairly certain that's a reasonable assertion.
The Senator's response:
Dear Mr. McCullough:
Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding your concerns with the MoveOn.org ad critical of General David Petreaus.
As you know, the independent MoveOn.org group sponsored an ad in the New York Times critical of General David Petreaus and his report on the war in Iraq. Several prominent members of Congress have criticized the ads, citing its unfair attack on the character and personal integrity of General Petreaus.
Recently, the Senate voted on two amendments by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), both of which reaffirmed the Senate's support for men and women in the Armed Forces and condemned attacks on the honor, integrity and patriotism of those who have served honorably. I agree that the ads were inappropriate, and I do not approve of calling into question the patriotism of the General. I have nothing but respect for him, and I find this personal attack distasteful.
Sincerely,
Herb Kohl
U.S. Senator