Reward candidates against the war - email from Moveon.org

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Dear MoveOn member,

Steve Brozak was angry when he returned from his tour of duty in Iraq last summer. A twenty-one year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and Marine Reserves, Brozak felt that he and his friends who put their lives on the line had been misled. Now, instead of getting mad, Steve Brozak is running for Congress.

And he's not alone. All across the country, candidates are running for Congress to make sure that what happened in Iraq never happens again. It's a courageous stand: Republicans are quick to attack and smear anyone who speaks out against the war. So it's up to us to reward these heroes who have put the best interest of the country first.

This week, we've picked out five great candidates in very close races who are steadfastly opposed to the war in Iraq. Can you help put these folks in Congress?

To contribute now, just click here:

https://www.moveonpac.org/give/04endorsed.html

Two years ago, after Congress voted to authorize war on Iraq, we sent out our first "Reward the Heroes" email. We featured four candidates who had taken a principled stand and voted against the war -- even though they knew it could hurt them at the polls. Thanks in part to the enormous outpouring of support from MoveOn members, three of them won. And the fourth, the late and great Paul Wellstone, would have won.

Wellstone's spirit lives on in the candidates we're featuring today.

Ginny Schrader, a tough and experienced public servant running a highly contested race in Pennsylvania, has been clear and consistent about her view on the war. On the campaign trail recently, she said, "I believe we were misled into a war we should not have been in. This has cost us dearly in lives, resources and our standing in the world."

Dianne Farrell, a longtime community activist from Westport, Connecticut says, "Prior to the invasion, I was on record as having strongly urged our administration not to take military action in Iraq without first obtaining multi-lateral support from our NATO allies and the United Nations. I have been deeply concerned by the current Administration's headlong rush into war with Iraq." Farrell's opponent, Chris Shays, has strongly supported the war.

Jim Sullivan is running in eastern Connecticut's second district against a conservative Bush supporter. Jim doesn't pull his punches: "Instead of seeing the effort through to completion," he says, "the Bush Administration conducted a bait-and-switch, leading America into a war in Iraq that was not essential to our national security."

Last but not least is John Salazar, a potato farmer, veteran, legislator, and the older brother of Colorado Attorney General and MoveOn-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Ken Salazar. If he wins, John will be the first Hispanic person to be elected to Congress from Colorado.

John's opponent attacked him for his anti-war position, saying "I want to protect America -- to win the war on terrorism -- a war my opponent thinks is just about oil." Together, we can fire him and put a new leader in Congress.

As candidate Dianne Farrell articulately wrote, "This war has alienated our allies, solidified the US position as an object of resentment and mistrust in most of the Arab World, destroyed much of Iraq's infrastructure and increased its ethnic strife and increased global terrorist activity. A huge economic burden has been placed on the United States to fund a war entered into without a strong, committed coalition. Worst of all, the Administration's lack of an exit plan has resulted in the tragic loss of life of hundreds of our American servicemen and citizens as well as thousands of Iraqis."

We agree with Dianne. And by electing principled and courageous leaders like her, we can make sure that what happened in Iraq never happens again.

Your contribution of $25, $50, $100 or more will go a long way in these five important U.S. House races.

Give now at:

https://www.moveonpac.org/give/04endorsed.html

We need more leaders in Washington who will stand up and speak for us. Let's elect some of them in November.

Sincerely,

--Eli Pariser and Hannah Pingree
MoveOn PAC
September 23rd, 2004

Authorized by:
Schrader For Congress
Brozak for Congress
Sullivan for Congress Committee
Farrell for Congress
John Salazar for Congress
PAID FOR BY MOVEON PAC