co-authored by Carnacki and SLJ of West Virginia Blue.
West Virginia Republican Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito (WV-02) had a chance to earn our praise yesterday. If she had continued on a path she had begun, we would have been the first to have credited her for doing the right thing for West Virginians and the American people. We would have crossed party lines to sing praises because bringing peace to Iraq, bringing our troops home or freeing them for where they are needed in Afghanistan — that is bigger than partisan politics.
She did not. She deserves to be called out for her cowardly action and this is something you can help with as we’ll explain at the end of the diary.
NOTE: WV-02 is frequently rated at this site as one of the top 40-50 pick-up opportunities in 2008.
She had the chance to take a stand against an unnecessary war that has already claimed thousands of American lives, tens of thousands of Iraqi lives. It has cost us allies, the respect of the world. It has not helped the fight against terrorism. Indeed, according to studies by the Department of Defense, the CIA and the recent National Intelligence Estimate, it has created even more enemies for us.
Capito had been on the course to change
During the election campaign of 2006, she mostly ran away from her previous Rubber Stamp Republican support of President Bush. She claimed she was independent of him and that she was eager to bring the troops home. She won with 57 percent of the vote.
After she won election, she claimed to have heard us.
Capito conceded the war had a major impact on her race and others throughout the nation. She called for the new Congress to “join together in a bipartisan way with the president to bring our troops home as soon as we can.”
Then at the beginning of the year, she opposed sending more troops.
“The No. 1 issue is how to get our troops out of there as quickly as possible.
She was even more forthright with West Virginia’s Hoppy Kercheval, the dean of West Virginia talk radio:
“Capito told me candidly, “I don’t see it (GeeDubya surge plan) as the solution to the problem.”
“The four term congresswoman believes sending more troops would simply put them in “very precarious situations to try to settle a situation that really doesn’t affect our vital national interest.”
“There, she said it. She doesn’t believe the “surge” makes America safer.” Hoppy Kerchival.
But what did she do when it came time to act?
Here’s how the Huntington News described it in an editorial:
Capito sliced it about as thinly as one can in a floor speech during in the House of Representatives yesterday as she made “clear” that, while she still opposes President Bush’s new surge of troops in Iraq, she cannot vote for a House resolution that says…exactly what she believes.
Come again, Congresswoman Capito? Which is it now: yea or nay?
Capito’s tortured reasoning is that, while she agrees with the content of the resolution, she fears that the Democrats may see it as a first step towards taking away funding from existing troops in the field.
Nevermind that the resolution nowhere states such a thing. Moreover, nobody is saying that Capito has to sign on to any further resolution or action by the Democrats if she finds sound cause to reject such future actions.
She said the resolution would be “tying” the military commanders’ hands by not giving them the “resources” they need.
In other words, she for opposing the escalation of the war before she was against opposing it.
Now the problem is that while some of the media did an excellent job in reporting her reversal, the others did not. Poor media coverage of her actual votes and work on Capitol Hill is one of the reasons she’s been able to market herself as a political moderate.
She’s not. She’s a hard-core Rubber Stamp Republican who is able with the complicity or ineptness of some of the media to mask her true self.
Now here’s where we ask you to action. The Rev. Jim Lewis took action. He was escorted out of Capito’s office by police after staging a protest for 10 hours in her Kanawha City office. We’re not asking you to occupy her office. We’re just asking you to call or email some people.
Room for Improvement
Martinsburg Journal, WV – by Lauren Hough – Capito comments on troop resolution
Contact Martinsburg Journal
By Email: news@journal-news.net
By Phone: 304-263-8931, extension list
Form for Letter to the Editor
Key points:
– Their coverage does not make Capito’s two-faced stance clear. Isn’t it odd for a Representative to say one thing and do the complete opposite? Isn’t it newsworthy that her actions (her vote) conflicts with her words?
– Urge them to cover the brave actions of Rev. Jim Lewis and Patriots for Peace. Capito’s action is unpopular. The depth of displeasure is news.
Improving
Daily Mail – Charleston, WV
Original Article by Jake Stump – Capito speaks against resolution critical of Iraq troop surge
Updated Article by Jake Stump – Capito opposes Iraq resolution
Contact Jake Stump
By Email: jakestump@dailymail.com.
By Email via form.
By Phone: 304-348-4842
Key Points
– Thank them for correcting the mis-impression left by their original coverage.
– Urge them to cover the brave actions of Rev. Jim Lewis and Patriots for Peace. Capito’s action is unpopular. The depth of displeasure is news.
Nice List
HNN Huntingtonnews.net – WV
Article (by HNN Staff): Capito Opposes Troop ‘Surge,’ Also Opposes Democratic Iraq Resolution in House
Editorial: Capito Has Her Cake, Eats It, Too, and Then Some
Contact HuntingtonNews.Net
Contact information.
Key Points
– Thank them for their strong coverage of the story.
– Express your interest in hearing more news about anti-war protests in the area including Rev. Jim Lewis and Patriots for Peace demonstration at Capito’s office.
In Summary
Thank you for your help. This is how we stop the Iraq war–this is how we turn a red district blue–by fighting every day for what is right.
These are all relatively small media markets. A little bit of online activism can go a really long way.