Carolina Shocker: A Republican Congressman Questions the Af-Pak Escalation . . .
OMG — The first congressional press conference challenging the Af-pak escalation was today, and the only Republican there was Rep. Walter Jones, a conservative Catholic who represents Camp Lejeune, the Marine base from which a big chunk of the new troops will come.
At Camp Lejeune, families put up handmade welcome home banners along the highway where the troops come in. I’ve been documenting them periodically for several years. Here are a few, at the Quaker House site.
Camp Lejeune Marines have already lost more than 300 soldiers killed in iraq and Af-pak,and a few thousand wounded.
Jones was once a BIG supporter of the Iraq invasion — he was the one who brought “Freedom Fries” in the Capitol cafeterias; but after signing several hundred condolence letters (not with an automatic pen like Rummy used), he repented and changed his tune.
He’s still a conservative Catholic rural Republican tho, so us citified NC progressive/peacenik types (including this Quaker) don’t have a clue how to talk or work with him, to our discredit. Instead we mostly tag along after the “moderate” NC Dems like hungry, whipped dogs hoping for a scrap of attention and response. And hardly ever getting even a pat on the head.
Maybe there’s a better way to recognize his rare act of political conscience.
PS. Here’s where to find the transcript of the press conference.
http://www.mydd.com/story/2009/12/1/183411/732 .
[NOTE: The banner photos copyright by Chuck Fager — Facebook keep yer mitts off!]