A Vote for "PRESENT" Is Not a Vote for the Future

If you have been keeping up with the headlines, you know that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in the U.S. and scheduled to speak at both the United Nations and Columbia University. Ahmadinejad’s request to visit the former site of the World Trade Center brought widespread condemnation and rightfully so. A little background on this man shows why. After rising from humble means to attain a PH.D in civil engineering, he took advantage of then relatively free Iranian society to help form the radical student group that took control of the American embassy in Tehran and held our American citizens hostage for 444 days.
Ahmadinejad moved on to be a member of the Revolutionary Guard in Iran, the mayor of Tehran and later, President. As leader of Iran, the country that once was our friend, Iran now has one of the most deplorable track records of any regime. Most disconcerting to the world currently is the evidence that Iran is pursuing the capability to produce a nuclear weapon. In addition, Ahmadinejad claims the Holocaust never happened and has called for the destruction of Israel as a nation. Iran has armed militant Shiites fighting US soldiers in Iraq, helped the Taliban in Afghanistan, supported Hezbollah in its bid to undermine the Lebanese government and backed anti-Israeli Palestinian groups labeled by the US as terrorists. Now how does this brief history lesson fit in to the Third Congressional District? Read on.
In June of this year, Congress voted on a resolution calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. As you would suspect, this was overwhelmingly supported on both sides of the political isle and passed by a vote of 411 to 2. Now thankfully, Walter Jones wasn’t one of the two, but he didn’t vote in favor either. He used his favorite legislative ploy when he has trouble taking a stand: he voted “PRESENT”. You might remember he also voted “PRESENT” on the GOP resolution calling for victory in the war on terror and reaffirming the U.S. commitment to prevailing in Iraq.
It is an embarrassment that our Congressman votes against the majority of his constituents, but even more embarrassing when he lacks the courage to actually cast a vote.
Friends, we need a Congressman who backs up his rhetoric on the campaign trail. Walter Jones talks about the courage it takes to oppose our President, but lacks the courage to oppose a tyrant. Walter Jones has been in Washington far too long and has formed alliances with liberals and conspiracy theorists to the point that he has lost all perspective. Only you can bring him back to reality.
So when you watch the news and see the universal outrage over Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, remind your friends that Walter Jones lacked the courage to oppose him.
See you on the campaign trail!
Joe
Quote of the Week: "I am of the firm belief that we have done as much as we can do in Iraq."
Walter Jones, April 2006.
I suggest that Walter Jones talk to some of the Marines who have returned from Iraq recently. We've done wonders since April of 2006