Statement by Steve Beren, April 25, 2008

Related articles by Steve Beren:
Islamic Fascism: The Focus of Evil in the Modern World http://www.berenforcongress.com/iraq.html
McDermott & the Democrats Lack a Victory Strategy http://www.berenforcongress.com/democrats.html

My opponent, far left incumbent Democrat Jim McDermott, has said of our troops in Iraq: "As long as our troops are there they're going to be a continuted irritant situation ... the troops are just kids put into a foreign land where they don't know who the enemy is...." Of course, it is actually McDermott that is an "irritant" and an embarassment to the people of Seattle, the 7th congressional district, and King County.

McDermott has been a confidant to dictators, a friend and comrade to Fidel Castro, an apologist for Ahmadinejad - and recently we learned that his travel agent was Saddam Hussein! Federal prosecutors recently reported that McDermott's infamous October 2002 trip to Iraq was paid for by Muthanna Al-Hanooti, an agent for Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency.

Like McDermott, former President Jimmy Carter also travels halfway around the world to pursue "diplomacy" with the terrorist organization Hamas and the pro-terrorist regime in Syria. One resident of the 7th congressional district, Joanne Mullally of Seattle, recently sharply criticized Carter's "renegade diplomacy," saying that Carter's "world touring and posing as an American diplomat ... is an embarassment." Mullally objected to "[Carter's] outrageous use of his one-term high-visibility, failed presidency to act as if he were able to speak for Americans."

Dan Gillerman, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, yesterday said that Carter "went to to the region with soiled hands and came back with bloody hands after shaking the hand of Khaled Mashaal, the leader of Hamas." According to the Associated Press, Gillerman said, "You see Syria's hosting, very hospitably and warmly, over 10 terror organizations in Damascus," adding that Syria also supports Hezbollah, an anti-Israeli Shiite group in Lebanon which also has close ties to Iran. "Basically, Syria and Iran, together with Hamas and Hezbollah, are the main axes of terror and evil in the world," the Israeli ambassador said.

Senator Barack Obama, the apparent front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has echoed the likes of Carter and McDermott, indicating that as president he would meet - without conditions - dictators such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez, Syria's Bashar Al-Assad, and North Korea's Kim Jong Il. An Obama presidency, like the failed Carter presidency, would be a disaster.

In the past 40 years, we've had two Democratic Party presidents - Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. They both weakened our military, ruined our foreign policy, displayed weakness in the face of our enemies, and emboldened Islamic fascism. If Barack Obama is elected president, we'll have a second Jimmy Carter term. Barack Obama would be very weak on national security, and that is not acceptable - especially in a time of war.

Jim McDermott's fierce opposition to a victory strategy in the war against terrorism is shared by the other key leaders of the Democratic Party. McDermott favors cutting off funds to our troops, and he favors surrendering Iraq to the terrorists. This is also the policy goal of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore and John Kerry.

Today, the focus of evil in the modern world is Islamic fascism. History teaches that appeasement and wishful thinking is folly. Weakness in the face of terrorism would mean the loss of our freedom.

Those who favor cutting off funding to the troops, immediate withdrawal, surrendering Iraq to the terrorists - those who minimize the threat posed by Iran's nuclear ambitions disqualify themselves from meeting the challenges facing our nation.

Related articles by Steve Beren:
Islamic Fascism: The Focus of Evil in the Modern World http://www.berenforcongress.com/iraq.html
McDermott & the Democrats Lack a Victory Strategy http://www.berenforcongress.com/democrats.html