Earlier this month, I campaigned with my friend and brother, Retired USAF Lt. Col. Charlie Brown.  I was proud to be with him as he unveiled his first TV ad of the 2008 campaign.  

The room that morning was a story unto itself.  Veterans young and old, standing shoulder to shoulder to support a man who understands what it’s like to put your life on the line for our country—a leader who understands what it means to make and keep a promise.  

Charlie’s campaign has always been different.  That’s why he’s donating 5% of every dollar he raises to help veteran service providers throughout the area.  But he’s not just giving back, he’s giving hope to all who are looking for a higher standard of leadership in Washington.  

We need Charlie in Congress.  He’s been there for our country.  Now I’m asking you to join me in being there for him.

Please take a moment and contribute to Charlie right now.

I put together a short web video during my visit so I can tell you personally, what this race and this candidate means to our country.

Visit Charlie’s website to check out my short web video, or you can watch it here on YouTube or here below:

Charlie’s opponents are career politicians who have spent millions of dollars attacking one another.  They’ve even attacked Charlie’s historic Veterans Charity Challenge program.  Every dollar they spend on petty squabbling and empty sound bites is a reminder of why Washington is broken and why we need new leadership in Congress.  

Take a minute right now, view Charlie’s new TV commercial and make a donation to his campaign.  Make a commitment to creating a different kind of politics.  

“Patriotism before Partisanship” is not just the mission of Charlie’s campaign-but the clear choice that confronts the people of District 4 in this election.

That’s why the nation’s largest organization for Independents, as well as the largest political group of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have both endorsed Charlie’s candidacy.

And it’s why I am asking you to help today-to help Charlie raise the $100,000 he needs to spread his positive message across the 17,000 square miles of District Four before June 3rd.

I’ll be back to campaign with Charlie again.  And when I do, with your help, I’ll be seeing this great TV commercial on the air.  

Please Contribute Now.

Thanks in advance for your continued support.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Max Cleland

Captain, U.S. Army, Retired

P.S.   Please stand strong with Charlie Brown right now, so he can stand strong for us in Washington.   Contribute what you can to help keep Charlie’s ad on the air today.

[War’s] glory is all moonshine; even success the most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families … It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation.

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it; and those who brought war to our country deserve all the curses and maledictions a people can pour out.

   -William Tecumseh Sherman

On March 19, 2003, Pres. George W. Bush declared war against Iraq and the US attacked that country.  Six weeks later and exactly five years ago today, Bush landed a fighter jet onboard an aircraft carrier, far from any dangers of real battle, and declared “Mission Accomplished.” He appeared almost giddy from the excitement of his most excellent adventure.

 “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.”

 — George W. Bush

Today, on that anniversary, Lt. Col. (Air Force Ret.) Charlie Brown appeared at a townhall meeting for veterans accompanied by former Army Capt. and Sen. Max Cleland.  Both Charlie Brown and Max Cleland served in Vietnam; indeed, that’s where Cleland had both legs and his right arm blown off by a grenade.

This morning, they had a more sober assessment of our foreign policy, the use of our military and our responsibilities to veterans.  Here’s what Sen. Cleland had to say:

“We need to send somebody to Washington who knows the difference between right and wrong.  We need to send somebody to Washington who has actually heard and felt the sound of battle, somebody who has felt the bullets flying past them… who knows what it’s like to be shot at.  Something you learn after that is that war is not to be prosecuted for anything less than the vital national interest.  It’s not something you do willy-nilly… war costs the life and limb of people, the best we have, and it must be well considered before it’s entered into.“

Of course, most of us realize that Pres. Bush has a slightly different take on war. Just two months ago, with over 4,000 dead and nearly 30,000 wounded, in a conference call with our troops in Iraq, Bush made the following statement:

“It must be exciting for you… in some ways romantic.”

And yet after five long years, a recent Pew Research poll tells us that a mere 28% of Americans even know that approximately 4,000 of our troops have been killed in Iraq.  Even fewer know about the shabby treatment that our veterans have been receiving from the federal government.  Once again, here’s what Max Cleland had to say:

We are so quick to go to war and so slow to take care of those who won the battle.

And here’s Charlie Brown, talking about the debt we owe to those who have served our country:

This mission is never accomplished; it’s ongoing.  It’s about accountability.

What is wrong with our country that we are not taking care of our veterans?  Any number of bills, whether it’s the new GI Bill, the increase in medical benefits, are being defeated… why are we not keeping our promise to the troops?

What has happened to the American dream? All of us who thought if we defended our country, we thought our country would take care of us. What has happened to our country?

Patriotism is meaningful to those who serve. We took an oath to serve; we took an oath to get results. And that’s what we expect from our leaders.  It’s time to hold our elected leaders responsible to do their job, hold them responsible to get some results.  We did that in the military. We should expect nothing less from our leaders.

On this five-year anniversary of Mission Accomplished, these are questions that all Americans should be asking. Something tells me if we send more real patriots like Charlie Brown to Washington this November, we’ll start getting the answers to some of those questions.

Penny

Online Organizing Director

California Democratic Party