We've all heard plenty about "cut and run" or "stay the course" in Iraq. But what do those sound bytes really mean? Our OC congressional delegation has largely remained quiet on the war debate, consistent with the “silence of the lambs” as described in Thomas Ricks’ #1 NYT bestseller Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq. If Reps. Campbell, Rohrabacher, Royce and Sanchez (I’m skipping Calvert and Miller) had served in the military or have their own children fighting in harm’s way, would they feel differently?
With the war Iraq cited as the top issue in today’s midterm elections according to the Washington Post, control of the House and the Senate could shift by tonight, depending on a handful of races including involving veterans, especially them Fightin' Dems. Nearly a year ago, the Democratic National Committee set out to enlist veterans to run for Congress. Of course those candidates received little attention when compared to the war faces of the Democratic Party, mainly Vietnam veterans like John Murtha, John Kerry and Max Cleland. The GOP has its share of veterans like Senator John "POW" McCain, outgoing chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Duncan Hunter (his Marine son served in Iraq) and disgraced and jailed Top Gunner Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Remember those Chickenhawks?
Veterans are rarely elected to Congress soon after they leave the military, McCain an exception. In 1994, two Gulf War vets won election along with 32 other GOP candidates running for Congress and governors. No Iraq/Afghanistan veteran currently serve in Congress. A number of veterans-run organizations and PACs have poured money into these tight races. They include the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, VoteVets Action Fund, and Vets for Freedom Action Fund.
A 2005 Military Times poll found that 56 percent of military personnel described themselves as Republicans, and 13 percent described themselves as Democrats. (This is the same paper that published the editorial "Rumsfeld Must Go" yesterday.) Yet the GOP could only muster one candidate, Marine and Harvard grad Van Taylor who's running in the district with GW's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Lately Taylor seems to be running out of steam against his Democrat opponent resulting in the GOP pulling support recently.
Which one of these veterans will take the Hill by tonight? By far, Democrat-Republican-Democrat James Webb in Virginia (his Marine son is currently in Iraq) has received the most attention since George “Macaca” Allen fumbled away his presidential hopes and maybe his Senate seat. Webb is legendary is the Marine Corps. For 20 years, his novel Fields of Fire has been required reading for lieutenants and sergeants. He is a personal friend and I have refrained from writing about his race until today. Last night Bill Clinton headlined his final campaign rally which attracted 5,000 die-hards as compared to Allen’s meekly 250.
Brendan Conway, an editorial writer at the Washington Times, nicely covers other hopeful veteran candidates in today's The American Spectator. Double-amputee Tammy Duckworth was spurned an endorsement by the antiquated Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), an organization which I have allowed my membership to lapse. Retired Admiral Joe Sestak leads embattled Curt Weldon in Pennsylvania. Once again, like the George Allen meltdown, the power of incumbency only wanes when there’s a scandal on hand.
When the smoke is cleared, about five or six (10% of the 60 or so candidates) will win their races. That number correlates to the percentage of veterans in our population (26 million vets in a country of 300 million or 200,000 vets out of 3 million residents in the OC). How much does a military record count in politics these days?
Hard-charging young 
