Dear Hillary - Campaign ads

Dear Hillary-

I've been thinking about that ad of yours asking who would the American people prefer answering the White house phone at 3 a.m. It really didn't work for me. It felt like you took a page out of the fear mongering Republican play book. Frankly, I think most Americans are tired of that game. You may have won some people over but not me (again/still).

That "red phone" ad that your campaign put out just before the March Super Tuesday, starts out with "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep"; you know the one. That part about our children being safe, well, that's my first problem because my child isn't asleep, he's dead and buried at Arlington Cemetery with more than 400 other members of the military who have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom since March 2003.

Remember, back in October 2002, you voted in favor of the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq. Even as recently as January 2008, you defended your vote saying that Chuck Hagel, who helped to draft the resolution said, 'It was not a vote for war,'

"Chuck said" is your explanation? Come on- while that may have been your excuse, it's a bit disingenuous to continue to use that as the reason you authorized this President to go to war.

This isn't about Chuck Hagel; by all accounts he is a good man. But with the most important, consequential decision you will ever make in your life; a vote that would impact our country, the lives and deaths of our military, our standing in the world, and you took the word of a colleague? Hillary, you had access to the full NIE report that might have given you insight into what this administration had in mind with regards to the march into the middle east. I know that only a handful of Senators actually looked at the complete document, but that's no excuse especially as you now claim, your judgment about matters of security would be better than those of your opponent.

It's tragic, really. This human and strategic tragedy that defines the War on Terror in Iraq. Nearly 4000 US casualties, 30,000 plus US injuries, some, with lifetime consequences. We cannot say how many Iraqi casualties or injuries, because that isn't something the administration let's us know or talk about. We know that more than 4 million Iraqis have been displaced and that alone would make this continued occupation wrong.

Hillary, you said yes to the war in Iraq when you should have said NO. While you still defend the vote, I find it indefensible. Apologize if you think your yes vote was wrong. I just don't think that you think it is. I don't know if I trust that you would make the right decision should that vote come up for Iran or whoever ends up on the US axis of terror list. Don't worry, I won't be voting for John McCain, he's more of a hawk than you could ever be. His 100 year plan in Iraq; well, that's just over the top and I definitely do not want him answering the phone in the White House.

Hillary, if that 3 a.m. ad was part of the "kitchen sink" campaign to win primary voters; I think it's time to get a new kitchen sink. You are better than that and those kinds of ads are just not necessary. An apology for your vote to authorize the war, however, is necessary.