I’m honestly sorry to read what I read on Firedoglake, http://tiny.cc/aabPW, and I’m sorry they’re calling you names.

But I hope you’ll speak with them to address this issue.

I just spoke with one of your aides on the phone, and he could not explain your vote.

To reiterate what I told him:

Continuing the war is not what I’ve been voting for. I would tell President Obama the same thing.

At this point I am more flabbergasted than angry over your flip-flop.

And let me add:

Please don’t use the IMF as an excuse. Whatever the merits of the IMF (or lack of them), the war overrides every other concern I have.

This war has always been Bush’s folly to me. Why the Democrats seem hell-bent on owning it themselves is beyond me. I am beginning to view the problem not as “the Republicans” but as “the establishment in Congress.”

That said, anything done to appease Republicans is not only wrong but counterproductive. If you managed to single-handedly capture bin Laden and execute him on camera, they would still say “I’m just not sure which side Ed Pastor is on.”

Surely you must realize that.

Sincerely,

Tom Marcinko

I did call Ed Pastor’s office, and asked the staffer (a) if this was true (yes) and (b) what was the reasoning (he did not know; he had not discussed this with the congressman). He didn’t even give me any flim-flam about the IMF.

I told the staffer this flip-flop is not what I’ve been voting for. I would tell President Obama the same thing.

Added to the staffer that at this point I was more flabbergasted than angry. Pastor’s voted on the correct side of this issue up till now, & his flip-flop is just puzzling.

(I wasn’t born yesterday and I know what’s going on — just want to give myself somewhere to go as my anger on this issue escalates)

More and BETTER Dems. People like Ed Pastor and Barney Frank have obviously been in Congress too long. (Term limits are a dumb idea, but now I can at least see the appeal)

I’m beginning to view this issue as an *establishment* problem as opposed to just the Repubs being a problem.

Don’t the Dems realize that even if they captured bin Laden on their own, and shot him on camera, the Repubs would still call them terrorist sympathizers and say “I just don’t know which side they’re on”?

FWIW, Rep. Pastor’s office has always asked for my zip code, & I assumed that was to make sure I was a voter in his district.

They used to laugh when I said “I live in CD4 — The Fighting Fourth!”

But they don’t any more. Sad, really.

called, they want your zip code before talking now. the heat must be getting to them.

I don’t know about Pastor specifically, but I don’t recall other Dems [e.g. Paul Hodes] asking for my zip code when they solicited [and continue to solicit] my out-of-state $$$$$ contributions.

I have talked to his local office, and the person chartered to speak on his behalf is not available.

As to his DC Office, I have spoken to a person but self-restraint has been exercised and the staffer will not be accepting “for attribution” and thusly, we have agreed that Pastor will be sought out and a statement tendered for posting and made available to FireDogLake. And the waiting continues.

Jaango

Historically, he has always been on the ‘correct’ side of almost all issues. He’s moved up and onto Pelosi’s leadership team and I expect he will vote with Pelosi on all most all issues. And in this instance, he is a disappointment to me.

The ‘talk’ here is that he is soon to retire, and there are about two dozen Democrats waiting for this happy event to occur.

However, I will give his office a call and report the result.

Jaango

I find these representatives whose staff claim they have not even spoken about what they will do just amazingly unresponsible. This is “leadership?”