Paul Hackett: Say Anything

Today is election day in Southern Ohio. Rob Portman resigned his Congressional seat on April 29, 2005, after the Senate confirmed him to be the United States Trade Representative.

Ohioans in the Second Congressional District are heading to the polls to fill the vacany, choosing between Jean Schmidt and Paul Hackett to be their next representative in Washington.
Schmidt is a Republican and strongly supports George Bush's agenda.
Hackett is a Democrat. He is not on board with the Bush administration--at all. You'd never know it by watching his latest ad.



Watch the ad here.

On his website, Hackett says:
If elected, I will be the only member of Congress to have served in Iraq. I fought in the Fallujah campaign, took part in reconstruction efforts, and worked side-by-side with Iraqi military and civil personnel. I know what’s really happening in Iraq.

...I was against the war. It was a misuse of our military that damaged our credibility throughout the world and squandered our political capital. Still, I volunteered to serve, and I have no regrets. But now we need to face the reality of the situation there. Our country has gone to war and every American must share in that responsibility.

He sounds like war hero John Kerry, doesn't he? He wants to be elected as a brave all-American veteran while turning around and bashing the current war effort and the Commander-in-Chief.

This press release from the Jean Schmidt campaign shows that Hackett is being deceptive.
SECOND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT— Throughout this campaign, Democrat Paul Hackett has continued to mislead the voters of the Second Congressional District. Since the beginning, he has been touting that he would be the first Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran to serve in Congress. That is untrue.

Republican Congressman Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kirk is a Naval Reserve intelligence officer who is the only member of Congress to serve in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also served during conflicts with Haiti and Bosnia, served four tours at sea and was named “Intelligence Officer of the Year” in 1999. Congressman Kirk was also an air crewman over Iraq during Operation Northern Watch.

Hackett reminds me of Vietnam vet John Kerry.

He wants to benefit from his status as a veteran while simultaneously recklessly bashing the current war effort and the Commander-in-Chief.
USA Today writes about Hackett's love/hate (with emphasis on the hate) relationship with Bush.Hackett is unapologetic. "I've said that I don't like the son-of-a-b—— that lives in the White House but I'd put my life on the line for him," he says.

He re-enlisted in the Marines last year and led a civil affairs unit in Iraq that saw duty in the insurgent hotbed of Fallujah.

Hackett had even more pointed criticism of Bush for saying of Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. troops in July 2003: "Bring them on."

"That's the most incredibly stupid comment I've ever heard a president of the United States make," Hackett says. "He cheered on the enemy."

Hackett is running on the line that he's "not your standard Democrat." That's debatable.

He has served in Iraq, although he was completely against the war. The "standard" Dem hasn't done that.

However, he is the typical Dem when it comes to using outrageous and inflammatory rhetoric. The guy is on the record as calling Bush a son of a bitch and stupid.

That makes Hackett's commercial all the more weird. It makes him sound like he's a Republican and in complete agreement with Bush.

He's not. Hackett's campaign tactics reveal that he realizes he needs to pretend to be a Republican on TV if he wants to win.

I hope the people of Ohio's Second Congressional District see what a sham Hackett is.

Obviously, in Hackett's case, being a vet does not mean he has integrity.

He is shamelessly trying to capitalize on Bush's popularity in the district.

Why didn't he run an ad saying how he really feels about Bush and his handling of the war?
Because he'd lose.