Iraq War Draws Veterans Into Politics

[deadparrot]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - After 20 years in the Air Force and Bronze Star service during the 1991 Gulf War, Democrat Jay Fawcett decided to come home and run for Congress, largely out of disgust with the way American troops were being used in Iraq.

"I think it's just gotten to the point where a significant number of us who've served are looking at this administration particularly — and Congress doesn't get off the hook — and saying, `What're you doing? What's the plan?'" he said.

Fawcett is part of a large and possibly unprecedented number of former soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines running for Congress this year.

About 40 of the candidates are Republicans, while at least 55 are Democrats. By one count, at least 11 veterans of the Iraq war or Afghanistan are hoping to get elected to the House or Senate, all but one of them Democrats.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060207/ap_on_go_co/veterans_for_congress

[thefloyd]

1. 40 Candidates are republicans?

I don't think that is correct at all.

[0rganism]

3. Might be correct if we're counting incumbents

[Selatius]

2. Nothing is more corrosive to the morale of servicemen then...

not knowing the cause for which they are fighting, and it gets real personal because if troops get that idea stuck in their head that it's for a cause not worth losing a life over, then every person they watch die in that war will be equated in their mind to that person dying for nothing.

[CJCRANE]

4. Maybe the planned drawdown of troops

from Iraq will be the tipping point as 1000's of combat vets return to find out that they've been lied to and used.