Betty Sutton Rides the Political Fence
Let’s start with the question posed by Jonathan Riskind and the Columbus Dispatch back on September 20th. This is the same question constituent Dick Calta revisited in his November 5th West Side Leader editorial.
Do you think more U.S. troops are needed in Afghanistan?
When will the United States know whether the mission has succeeded and U.S. troops can withdraw from Afghanistan?”
After just 53 days, Sutton has released her Official Afghanistan Message. In that letter, dated November 12th, Betty used more than 970 words to respond to, but never actually answer the questions.
The congresswoman’s unwillingness to answer questions is nearing cliché at this point. She seems to have built an entire career out of political fence riding. Don’t believe me? Call the congresswoman’s office and ask for her position on [insert issue here]. If you’re lucky, you might get a statement about the representative carefully weighing all opinions and information before making a decision. More often, a voice at the other end will inform you that your concerns and questions will be forwarded on and someone will look into them.
Today, I am posing a new and more direct line of questions for the congresswoman.
Dear Congresswoman Sutton,
I’ve read your response to the Afghanistan debate, and considering how busy your staff tells me you have been, I appreciate that you found time to address this issue. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find an answer to the question Jonathan Riskind of the Columbus Dispatch asked you on September 20th. I am sure this omission was merely an oversight, much like the Constitution question at the August Tele-Town Hall.
I have one simple question for you regarding troop levels in Afghanistan.
Q) YES or NO – Do you support General McChrystal’s urgent request for additional troops in Afghanistan?
As a reminder, in February of 2007, in a speech before the Rules Committee, you wholeheartedly supported the opinions of President George W. Bush’s military commander, Gen. John Abizaid. You quoted portions of his Senate Armed Services Committee testimony to support your opposition to the troops serge in Iraq. For consistency’s sake, I assume you will continue to support the expert opinions of our President’s military commanders, particularly those of General McChrystal who was hand selected for his skills and knowledge by President Obama.
I look forward to your response.
Tags: Afghanistan, Constitution, issues
