Democrat Treachery Alive and Well in CD 20

This type of abandonment of both principle and spine is exactly why I told area progressives that I would be voting for Erik Sundwall in CD 20's latest Congressional race. Sundwall is
the Libertarian who was successfully blocked from the ballot, even though he had collected almost twice the required number of signatures, by the two-party rules developed to help the Gillibrands and the Weeneys of this world. Like most aspiring politicians, Gillibrand is neither a progressive nor a friend of the peace movement. She is simply (much like her evil predecessor) a climber and a neophyte who was a safe candidate for the Republican-Lites precisely because she can be counted on to do whatever her party bosses and handlers "advise" her to do.

Nancy Pelosi - "Impeachment is off the table!"

Perhaps, we should hold a celebration reveling in the treachery of these so-called "anti-war leaders". ;-)



Gillibrand Won't Block Iraq funds
Congresswoman says she wouldn't deny money meant to support troops

By DENNIS YUSKO, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand would not support a resolution that blocks funding to troops in Iraq, she said Monday at her first public town hall meeting.
"You never want to make the troops vulnerable," Gillibrand told more than 150 people in the Saratoga VFW Hall on Excelsior Avenue.

Iraq and health care -- in that order -- are the most vital issues facing New York's 20th Congressional District, said the congresswoman, who has become the local face of the new 110th Congress. She detailed to a standing room only crowd what it was like to be part of a flurry of legislation passed by the House of Representatives during its first 100 hours of work.
The Greenport Democrat talked about her party's efforts to ban some gifts and trips given to elected officials; beef up port and airport security; reduce interest rates on student loans; increase the minimum wage; and more.

"The first 100 hours were incredibly important," said Gillibrand, who defeated Republican incumbent John Sweeney in a bitter campaign last year. "These were all issues I campaigned on."
But questions and her remarks about the ongoing conflict in Iraq produced the most passion. Several members of the audience said afterward that they had come to Gillibrand's first district meeting because they wanted to know her stance on funding President Bush's 21,500-troop "surge" in Iraq.
"I think this is going to be a big test," said Jeffrey Halpern of North Galway, a member of the Saratoga Peace Alliance. "Some political figures say they are against the war, but still vote to fund it, and the Saratoga Peace Alliance feels that is hypocritical."

The new Democrat-led Congress is debating multiple resolutions on Iraq that call for taking President Bush to task on the issue with varying degrees of confrontation. The most drastic measure would cut off funds for the war effort, something Gillibrand said she wasn't prepared to do.

Gillibrand has joined the "Blue Dogs" in Congress, a group of conservative Democrats, and as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, has questioned the nation's top military leaders about Iraq. She said Monday she wants to ensure that deployed troops continue to receive funding for basic necessities like food and body armor.
But she also said the President's war plan was strategically misguided, and that any additional spending on military operations should be monitored. The United States should engage Syria and Iran in trying to reach a peace agreement in Iraq, Gillibrand said.

"The solutions really reside in the political and economic arenas," said Gillibrand, who has pledged to voters to hold at least one public meeting a month in the district. On Monday, she spent a hurried hour in the VFW hall, fielding various questions on a variety of issues, ranging from the attack on the World Trade Center to whether the United States is poised to attack Iran.
She said the President does not have congressional approval to attack Iran.
The crowd was generally supportive, but anxious about Iraq.

The right thing to do would be to end funding for the war, said Myrna Sack of Saratoga Springs. "You either are for the war, or not for the war. Period," Sack said.
But both Sack and Halpern, the member of the Saratoga Peace Alliance, said they remained hopeful for Gillibrand's term.

The meeting ended with 1st Lt. Matthew McLoughlin of Malta, who served in Iraq in 2004-05 with the New York Army National Guard, urging that Gillibrand consider the troops with her vote. He said voting against funding the troop increase in Iraq would achieve nothing, and only undermine the efforts of the troops.
"Thank you for your service," the congresswoman replied. "I will consider that."

Dennis Yusko can be reached at 581-8438 or by e-mail at dyusko@timesunion.com