Offering frequent news and analysis from the majestic Evergreen State and beyond, The Cascadia Advocate is the Northwest Progressive Institute's unconventional perspective on world, national, and local politics.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Oregon's Congressional D's throw down on Smith ad

Gordon Smith's campaign is currently airing a TV ad starring two Democrats: Former Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse and former State Senator Avel Gordly.

The two women claim in the ad that Smith that was one of the first Republicans to "stand up to Bush" on the war in Iraq.

Darlene Hooley, David Wu, Earl Blumenauer and Peter DeFazio released a statement today responding to the ad:
After watching Gordon Smith's new television ad featuring Elizabeth Furse and Avel Gordly we feel compelled to respond and to help set the record straight: Gordon Smith was not one of the first to speak out against the war. It was only after the resounding rejection of the failed Bush agenda at the ballot box in 2006 that Gordon Smith revealed that he harbored second thoughts about the war. Any previous consternation, on his part, was concealed from his constituents and those of us that were fighting to change this disastrous policy.

To this day, he has turned a blind eye to the other abuses: Halliburton; independent contractors; torture. The list on the war alone is as extensive as it is troubling.

We welcome Senator Smith's change of heart. We hope that it extends past just the war, to deal with all the assorted disasters and outrages associated with it.

We know that our friend and former colleague Elizabeth Furse has been gone from Congress for a long time. Had she still been in office, she would have opposed the war with us from the beginning rather than wait years for Senator Smith to speak out.
They could have also added that Smith was not in fact "one of the first" Republicans to push back on Iraq. He wasn't one of the second, third or fourth, either.

Six Republicans voted against the Iraq invasion resolution. I've also found three others who spoke out before Smith: Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC),Rep. Wayne Gilchrist (R-MD) and Rep. John Duncan, Jr (R-TN). It seems Avel and Elizabeth were played..or they're trying to play Oregonians.

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