A million thank yous to James for putting these things together. I have added to the site, in WORD format, the work James has done on both the House and Senate Version of this bill. Please look it over. I am printing it out to send to Thelma and one to carry around with me for when I am speaking with people about Iran who aren't aware of the truth. Please check them out on the home page of our site on the left at the top. I think the addresses are
http://www.patriotstoolbox.org/codepink/docs/SenRes580--IRAN,w-CORRECTIVE.doc
-and-
http://www.patriotstoolbox.org/codepink/docs/H.Con.Res362,detailed.FINAL-1.doc
Enjoy!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Press Release for Saturday's Event at Little Creek
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Hampton Roads Peace and Justice Coalition
PO Box 5533
Virginia Beach, VA 23471
Media Contact: Tom Palumbo 757-470-9797
Email Address: NorfolkOffBase@Gmail.com
A member of Virginia Antiwar Network / Http://WWW. VAWN. Org
Norfolk VA; July 31, 2008: Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk will be the sight of a local demonstration this Saturday, August 2, 2008 12PM – 1:30 PM.
The protest will be calling for More Diplomacy! Less Deployments! to "Stop The Next War Now! No War on Iran!"
Organized by the Hampton Roads Peace and Justice Coalition, the group plans to rally to bring the troops home now, as well as provide support and alternatives to Servicemembers and their families.
This colorful and informative gathering intends to call upon policy makers to use dialogue and diplomacy to avert escalation of the tensions in the Middle East, with particular emphasis on avoiding armed conflict with Iran.
Said Retired Navy Commander and Portsmouth resident Dave Timm: "We
support our troops, and call upon President Bush and Congress to seek a peaceful compromise with Iran. As Admiral Fox Fallon has stated the use the threat of force towards Iran is not the answer and will only complicate an already volatile situation in that region.
"
The Hampton Roads Code Pink Coordinator, Miranda Barker of Norfolk has told HRPJC: "I am going to be there because once again we are beating the drums of war on the assumption that another country has weapons that our own intelligence has shown they do not have".
This gathering has been endorsed by several local, regional and national organizations and is being held in conjunction with 70 local actions held around the country to oppose a preemptive strike on Iran.
Virginia groups that have endorsed the event include: Code Pink! Hampton Roads Chapter; Veterans For Peace; Norfolk Catholic Worker; Norfolk based Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, Co-Founder Appeal For Redress / Author of "Anti War Soldier"; Augusta Coalition for Peace & Justice (Augusta County); Blacksburg Coalition For Justice; Charlottesville Center for Peace & Justice' CodePINK Charlottesville; Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality (Richmond); Little Flower Catholic Worker (Louisa); Northern Virginians for Peace and Justice; People United; Virginia AntiWar Network (WWW. VAWN. Org); Progressive Democrats of America, Virginia Chapter; Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged (R.I.H.D.) (Richmond); Richmond Peace Education Center - RVA4Peace (Richmond); and labor union UE Local 160. The action has been coordinated with the national Stop War On Iran! group.
http://stopwaroniran. org
Rally 12:00PM -1:30 PM; Saturday August 2, 2008, Corner E.
Little Creek and Shore Drive;
Numerous photo opportunities and spokespeople will be available for extended interviews
###
Contact: Hampton Roads Peace and Justice Coalition
PO Box 5533
Virginia Beach, VA 23471
Media Contact: Tom Palumbo 757-470-9797
Email Address: NorfolkOffBase@Gmail.com
A member of Virginia Antiwar Network / Http://WWW. VAWN. Org
Norfolk VA; July 31, 2008: Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk will be the sight of a local demonstration this Saturday, August 2, 2008 12PM – 1:30 PM.
The protest will be calling for More Diplomacy! Less Deployments! to "Stop The Next War Now! No War on Iran!"
Organized by the Hampton Roads Peace and Justice Coalition, the group plans to rally to bring the troops home now, as well as provide support and alternatives to Servicemembers and their families.
This colorful and informative gathering intends to call upon policy makers to use dialogue and diplomacy to avert escalation of the tensions in the Middle East, with particular emphasis on avoiding armed conflict with Iran.
Said Retired Navy Commander and Portsmouth resident Dave Timm: "We
support our troops, and call upon President Bush and Congress to seek a peaceful compromise with Iran. As Admiral Fox Fallon has stated the use the threat of force towards Iran is not the answer and will only complicate an already volatile situation in that region.
"
The Hampton Roads Code Pink Coordinator, Miranda Barker of Norfolk has told HRPJC: "I am going to be there because once again we are beating the drums of war on the assumption that another country has weapons that our own intelligence has shown they do not have".
This gathering has been endorsed by several local, regional and national organizations and is being held in conjunction with 70 local actions held around the country to oppose a preemptive strike on Iran.
Virginia groups that have endorsed the event include: Code Pink! Hampton Roads Chapter; Veterans For Peace; Norfolk Catholic Worker; Norfolk based Navy Petty Officer Jonathan Hutto, Co-Founder Appeal For Redress / Author of "Anti War Soldier"; Augusta Coalition for Peace & Justice (Augusta County); Blacksburg Coalition For Justice; Charlottesville Center for Peace & Justice' CodePINK Charlottesville; Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality (Richmond); Little Flower Catholic Worker (Louisa); Northern Virginians for Peace and Justice; People United; Virginia AntiWar Network (WWW. VAWN. Org); Progressive Democrats of America, Virginia Chapter; Resource Information Help for the Disadvantaged (R.I.H.D.) (Richmond); Richmond Peace Education Center - RVA4Peace (Richmond); and labor union UE Local 160. The action has been coordinated with the national Stop War On Iran! group.
http://stopwaroniran. org
Rally 12:00PM -1:30 PM; Saturday August 2, 2008, Corner E.
Little Creek and Shore Drive;
Numerous photo opportunities and spokespeople will be available for extended interviews
###
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Iran is a LIE too! H. Con. Res 362 Action Part 1
James at the PINK house has done an excellent job of putting together some information on Iran and H. Con. Res. 362. We know that Thelma Drake is a Co-Sponsor of the bill and we are now working to get her to withdraw her support. You can follow the bill here and check to see if your representative is supporting the bill for sanctions (an act of war) on Iran.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HC00362:@@@P
Please review the information below for talking points, or go to the national site and print out the document and give it to your representative here:
http://codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=135#iranblockade
H. CON. RES. 362
FALSE ASSERTIONS:
1) The Resolution's introductory paragraph refers to “Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
This claim is not supported by the current National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the joint conclusion of America's 16 intelligence agencies. To the contrary, the NIE states that the U.S. has no evidence that Iran has had such a program for at least five years.
2) “Whereas” (No. 3) states that “the IAEA has confirmed... importation of designs to convert highly enriched uranium gas into metal and shape it into the core of a nuclear weapon.”
This assertion is FALSE. H. Con. Res. 362 falsely attributes this claim to the IAEA. It is actually from the 18 electronic documents (not original documents) supplied to the IAEA by various states favoring strong action against Iran. The IAEA's June 2008 report refers to such documents as “alleged” and “purported,” stating explicitly that they have not been authenticated.
Of Iran's nuclear enrichment program, the IAEA report states: “The Agency currently has no information... on the actual design or manufacture by Iran of nuclear material components, or of other key components, of a nuclear weapon. Likewise, the Agency has not seen indications of the actual use of nuclear material in connection with the alleged studies.”
Regarding the alleged documents, the IAEA was not provided with original copies of the documents, but only electronic versions which they were not authorized to share with the Iranians in order that Tehran could respond to the alleged evidence.
3) “Whereas” (No. 9) states that “Iran's leaders have repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel...”
This assertion is FALSE and based on a false translation. According to University of Michigan Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Juan Cole (and numerous other Middle East experts):
"Ahmadinejad did not say he was going to 'wipe Israel off the map' because no such idiom exists in Persian... the proper translation is that Ahmadinejad “hoped its regime, i.e., a Jewish-Zionist state occupying Jerusalem, would collapse... The actual quote, which comes from an old speech of Khomeini, does not imply military action, or killing anyone at all.”
4) “Whereas” (No. 13) refers to the “rapid development” of Iran's nuclear capabilities:
This characterization is wildly off the mark. According to The New York Times, “...the centrifuges that Iran is running appear to be inefficient... While the cascade worked, 'It didn't operate well,' Mr. (David) Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security said in an interview, echoing his May 17 Congressional testimony.” (NYT, 5/29/06)
Also: “Western nuclear analysts... called (Iranian) claims exaggerated (and) said nothing had
changed to alter current estimates of when Iran might be able to make a single nuclear weapon... 5 to 10 years, and some analysts have said it could come as late as 2020.” (NYT, 4/13/06)
5) “Whereas” (No. 16) alleges that Hamas “illegally (seized) control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority...”
This characterization is 180 degrees wrong. An article appearing in the April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair reveals “how (the Bush administration) backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than ever.”
The article by David Rose cites “confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials” including David Wurmser, one of the founding NeoCons, who served as Cheney’s Middle East adviser until he resigned in July of 2007. Wurmser said, “There is a stunning disconnect between the President’s call for Middle East democracy and this policy. It directly contradicts it.” (DemocracyNow!, 3/5/08)
6) H. Con. Res. 362's final “Whereas” avers that “nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization of the use of force against Iran.”
However, the same resolution “demands” that the President take action to prohibit: “the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program”
As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's June 24, 2008 article concludes “such a unilateral blockade constitutes an act of war" under international law.
Additional Information:
• The allegation that Iran supports terrorist groups is misleading. Only a handful of countries consider Hamas and Hezbollah “terrorist groups,” and the U.N. does not so designate either group. Both groups are very popular in the Middle East, especially among the local populace. Both have offered long-term peace deals with Israel and been rebuffed. Neither kills anywhere near the number of civilians the Israeli Defense Forces do (the 2006 war with Lebanon provides a stark example of this phenomenon).
• Ironically, Congressman Ackerman, H. Con. Res. 362's sponsor, is on record as supporting a State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq), despite their history of killing American civilian and military personnel.
• The Ford administration encouraged Tehran to seek nuclear power on the grounds that their oil would one day run out.
• Prior to his ouster the Shah of Iran, a U.S. ally, working with Israel planned to fit nuclear warheads onto Iranian missiles in clear contravention of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• H. Con. Res. 362 hypes the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran by citing the worst case scenario presented in the 2007 NIE – that Iran could have enough enriched uranium for a weapon “as soon as late 2009,” neglecting to mention that the same NIE concludes that “this is very unlikely,” pointing to 2013 as a more reasonable estimate.
• America has scant evidence that Iran is supporting terrorism against the U.S. The New York Times reported in February of this year that American officials are “perplexed in recent years over whether Iran had decided not to use terrorism as a weapon against the United States.”
• H. Con. Res. 362 exaggerates the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran by suggesting that their ballistic missiles are “almost exclusively” suited to nuclear weapons – which the NIE disputes.
• H. Con. Res. 362 suggests that the Bush administration has pursued diplomacy. The truth is that this administration has consistently rejected diplomatic overtures from Iran, including the 2003 “grand bargain,” in which Tehran offered to put EVERYTHING on the table: nuclear enrichment, support for Hamas and Hezbollah, recognition of Israel, cooperation in Iraq... The administration would not even respond to Tehran's offer and rebuked the Swiss ambassador for relaying the offer in the first place.
• H. Con. Res. 362, echoing Bush administration propaganda, puts a disproportionate emphasis on the role played by Iran in the wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. American allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have had a far greater detrimental role in those two countries, respectively: Saudi Arabia providing most of the suicide bombers and funding for the insurgency in Iraq; Pakistan being the chief protector – and source – of the Taliban, releasing from their prisons dozens of Taliban implicated in suicide bombings and using the vast majority of the U.S. $5 billion for defense against India rather than against militants/jihadis.
• Ironically, the Bush administration has allied itself with SCIRI (The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq), the Iranian-created/controlled Shi'ite faction in Iraq, rather than the far more popular, indigenous Sadrists. The difference: The Sadrists want the occupation to end; the Iranian faction, like the Bush administration, is willing to see the occupation continue and the country split into 3 semi-autonomous regions.
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HC00362:@@@P
Please review the information below for talking points, or go to the national site and print out the document and give it to your representative here:
http://codepinkalert.org/article.php?list=type&type=135#iranblockade
H. CON. RES. 362
FALSE ASSERTIONS:
1) The Resolution's introductory paragraph refers to “Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons.”
This claim is not supported by the current National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), the joint conclusion of America's 16 intelligence agencies. To the contrary, the NIE states that the U.S. has no evidence that Iran has had such a program for at least five years.
2) “Whereas” (No. 3) states that “the IAEA has confirmed... importation of designs to convert highly enriched uranium gas into metal and shape it into the core of a nuclear weapon.”
This assertion is FALSE. H. Con. Res. 362 falsely attributes this claim to the IAEA. It is actually from the 18 electronic documents (not original documents) supplied to the IAEA by various states favoring strong action against Iran. The IAEA's June 2008 report refers to such documents as “alleged” and “purported,” stating explicitly that they have not been authenticated.
Of Iran's nuclear enrichment program, the IAEA report states: “The Agency currently has no information... on the actual design or manufacture by Iran of nuclear material components, or of other key components, of a nuclear weapon. Likewise, the Agency has not seen indications of the actual use of nuclear material in connection with the alleged studies.”
Regarding the alleged documents, the IAEA was not provided with original copies of the documents, but only electronic versions which they were not authorized to share with the Iranians in order that Tehran could respond to the alleged evidence.
3) “Whereas” (No. 9) states that “Iran's leaders have repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel...”
This assertion is FALSE and based on a false translation. According to University of Michigan Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Juan Cole (and numerous other Middle East experts):
"Ahmadinejad did not say he was going to 'wipe Israel off the map' because no such idiom exists in Persian... the proper translation is that Ahmadinejad “hoped its regime, i.e., a Jewish-Zionist state occupying Jerusalem, would collapse... The actual quote, which comes from an old speech of Khomeini, does not imply military action, or killing anyone at all.”
4) “Whereas” (No. 13) refers to the “rapid development” of Iran's nuclear capabilities:
This characterization is wildly off the mark. According to The New York Times, “...the centrifuges that Iran is running appear to be inefficient... While the cascade worked, 'It didn't operate well,' Mr. (David) Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security said in an interview, echoing his May 17 Congressional testimony.” (NYT, 5/29/06)
Also: “Western nuclear analysts... called (Iranian) claims exaggerated (and) said nothing had
changed to alter current estimates of when Iran might be able to make a single nuclear weapon... 5 to 10 years, and some analysts have said it could come as late as 2020.” (NYT, 4/13/06)
5) “Whereas” (No. 16) alleges that Hamas “illegally (seized) control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority...”
This characterization is 180 degrees wrong. An article appearing in the April 2008 issue of Vanity Fair reveals “how (the Bush administration) backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than ever.”
The article by David Rose cites “confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials” including David Wurmser, one of the founding NeoCons, who served as Cheney’s Middle East adviser until he resigned in July of 2007. Wurmser said, “There is a stunning disconnect between the President’s call for Middle East democracy and this policy. It directly contradicts it.” (DemocracyNow!, 3/5/08)
6) H. Con. Res. 362's final “Whereas” avers that “nothing in this resolution shall be construed as an authorization of the use of force against Iran.”
However, the same resolution “demands” that the President take action to prohibit: “the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program”
As the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's June 24, 2008 article concludes “such a unilateral blockade constitutes an act of war" under international law.
Additional Information:
• The allegation that Iran supports terrorist groups is misleading. Only a handful of countries consider Hamas and Hezbollah “terrorist groups,” and the U.N. does not so designate either group. Both groups are very popular in the Middle East, especially among the local populace. Both have offered long-term peace deals with Israel and been rebuffed. Neither kills anywhere near the number of civilians the Israeli Defense Forces do (the 2006 war with Lebanon provides a stark example of this phenomenon).
• Ironically, Congressman Ackerman, H. Con. Res. 362's sponsor, is on record as supporting a State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq), despite their history of killing American civilian and military personnel.
• The Ford administration encouraged Tehran to seek nuclear power on the grounds that their oil would one day run out.
• Prior to his ouster the Shah of Iran, a U.S. ally, working with Israel planned to fit nuclear warheads onto Iranian missiles in clear contravention of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
• H. Con. Res. 362 hypes the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran by citing the worst case scenario presented in the 2007 NIE – that Iran could have enough enriched uranium for a weapon “as soon as late 2009,” neglecting to mention that the same NIE concludes that “this is very unlikely,” pointing to 2013 as a more reasonable estimate.
• America has scant evidence that Iran is supporting terrorism against the U.S. The New York Times reported in February of this year that American officials are “perplexed in recent years over whether Iran had decided not to use terrorism as a weapon against the United States.”
• H. Con. Res. 362 exaggerates the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran by suggesting that their ballistic missiles are “almost exclusively” suited to nuclear weapons – which the NIE disputes.
• H. Con. Res. 362 suggests that the Bush administration has pursued diplomacy. The truth is that this administration has consistently rejected diplomatic overtures from Iran, including the 2003 “grand bargain,” in which Tehran offered to put EVERYTHING on the table: nuclear enrichment, support for Hamas and Hezbollah, recognition of Israel, cooperation in Iraq... The administration would not even respond to Tehran's offer and rebuked the Swiss ambassador for relaying the offer in the first place.
• H. Con. Res. 362, echoing Bush administration propaganda, puts a disproportionate emphasis on the role played by Iran in the wars being fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. American allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have had a far greater detrimental role in those two countries, respectively: Saudi Arabia providing most of the suicide bombers and funding for the insurgency in Iraq; Pakistan being the chief protector – and source – of the Taliban, releasing from their prisons dozens of Taliban implicated in suicide bombings and using the vast majority of the U.S. $5 billion for defense against India rather than against militants/jihadis.
• Ironically, the Bush administration has allied itself with SCIRI (The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq), the Iranian-created/controlled Shi'ite faction in Iraq, rather than the far more popular, indigenous Sadrists. The difference: The Sadrists want the occupation to end; the Iranian faction, like the Bush administration, is willing to see the occupation continue and the country split into 3 semi-autonomous regions.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Impeachment Hearings NOW
Hooray for Lisa!! One of our Pinkers is one of only 17 people who made it into the actual hearings!!
Please call your local TV and Newspapers and ask that they cover the Impeachment hearings. The numbers are below. Let them know that it is being covered right now Live on CSPAN 1
ASK FOR THE NEWS ROOM!!
WTKR 446-1000
WAVY 757-393-1010
WVEC 757.628.6200
Virginian Pilot 757-446-2010
Please call your local TV and Newspapers and ask that they cover the Impeachment hearings. The numbers are below. Let them know that it is being covered right now Live on CSPAN 1
ASK FOR THE NEWS ROOM!!
WTKR 446-1000
WAVY 757-393-1010
WVEC 757.628.6200
Virginian Pilot 757-446-2010
Saturday, July 19, 2008
How it really isin Iraq, from an Iraqi Woman
I will be commenting on this, but I wanted to get it up while I had it. More to come!
More on Mock Trial Yesterday
From the Daily Press:
Rove protested at Drake fundraiser
The GOP representative hosts the former presidential adviser.
BY KIMBALL PAYNE | 247-4765
July 19, 2008
VIRGNIA BEACH - Protesters appeared Friday outside a sold-out fundraiser for Rep. Thelma Drake that featured Karl Rove, calling for the arrest of the lightning-rod Republican guru.
Democrats had been calling for Drake's re-election campaign to cancel the luncheon at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the Virginia Beach Town Center. Rove arrived early Friday afternoon, and about 40 protesters spent more than three hours picketing — even staging a mock trial, complete with robes and wigs.
"It's a shame that Thelma Drake decided it was OK to spend time with Karl Rove when she may very well be voting on him for contempt of Congress in a couple of weeks," said Jared Leopold, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party. "I guess we know where her vote will lie."
Rove defended his decision not to answer a subpoena to testify before Congress last week about the firings of U.S. attorneys. The former top White House adviser and current Fox News political analyst said talking publicly about those matters was up to President Bush because it would break the separation between the judicial and executive branches of the government — a core tenet of the U.S. Constitution.
Rove also described Drake, whom Democrats have derided as a lock-step Bush supporter, as a "independent-minded" politician.
"It was a highly successful event. People were excited to hear Karl Rove speak," Drake said of the fundraiser, where plates went as high as $1,000. "He gave everyone good insight into (presumptive GOP presidential nominee) John McCain and the presidential race."
Drake is in a re-election campaign against first-time candidate Glenn Nye, a former Foreign Service officer. Drake's district includes Virginia Beach and parts of Hampton, Norfolk and the Eastern Shore. The race has been on the national radar for political insiders, despite that Drake has survived spirited challenges before.
Nye's campaign and national Democrats have been railing against Drake for staging a fundraiser with Rove so soon after he defied a congressional subpoena. Democrat Leopold said Rove represented the Washington-style partisan gridlock and wrangling that voters were tired of watching.
Drake's campaign shot back, questioning why Nye would accept $4,000 from Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., now in hot water because of fundraising using official letterhead.
Rove protested at Drake fundraiser
The GOP representative hosts the former presidential adviser.
BY KIMBALL PAYNE | 247-4765
July 19, 2008
VIRGNIA BEACH - Protesters appeared Friday outside a sold-out fundraiser for Rep. Thelma Drake that featured Karl Rove, calling for the arrest of the lightning-rod Republican guru.
Democrats had been calling for Drake's re-election campaign to cancel the luncheon at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the Virginia Beach Town Center. Rove arrived early Friday afternoon, and about 40 protesters spent more than three hours picketing — even staging a mock trial, complete with robes and wigs.
"It's a shame that Thelma Drake decided it was OK to spend time with Karl Rove when she may very well be voting on him for contempt of Congress in a couple of weeks," said Jared Leopold, a spokesman for the state Democratic Party. "I guess we know where her vote will lie."
Rove defended his decision not to answer a subpoena to testify before Congress last week about the firings of U.S. attorneys. The former top White House adviser and current Fox News political analyst said talking publicly about those matters was up to President Bush because it would break the separation between the judicial and executive branches of the government — a core tenet of the U.S. Constitution.
Rove also described Drake, whom Democrats have derided as a lock-step Bush supporter, as a "independent-minded" politician.
"It was a highly successful event. People were excited to hear Karl Rove speak," Drake said of the fundraiser, where plates went as high as $1,000. "He gave everyone good insight into (presumptive GOP presidential nominee) John McCain and the presidential race."
Drake is in a re-election campaign against first-time candidate Glenn Nye, a former Foreign Service officer. Drake's district includes Virginia Beach and parts of Hampton, Norfolk and the Eastern Shore. The race has been on the national radar for political insiders, despite that Drake has survived spirited challenges before.
Nye's campaign and national Democrats have been railing against Drake for staging a fundraiser with Rove so soon after he defied a congressional subpoena. Democrat Leopold said Rove represented the Washington-style partisan gridlock and wrangling that voters were tired of watching.
Drake's campaign shot back, questioning why Nye would accept $4,000 from Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., now in hot water because of fundraising using official letterhead.
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