John Kerry sent this email from Patrick Murphy to his entire list this morning

[ralbertson]

Barack Obama will bring real change to our Iraq policy


Coming out of an historic South Carolina victory, it's crunch time heading into February 5th -- and this week I'll be introducing you to some voices in the johnkerry.com community who share my commitment to electing Barack Obama President of the United States. First up: Representative Patrick Murphy, an Iraq War veteran whom many of you supported in his first race for Congress.

Thanks,
John Kerry


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Exactly four years ago today, I returned home from Iraq. Nineteen of my fellow paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne weren’t as lucky. I witnessed George Bush’s failed strategy firsthand and was determined to do something about it and start bringing our troops home. Now, as the first and only Iraq war veteran in Congress, I take seriously my responsibility to call for a new foreign policy, and to making sure our nation fulfills its promise to my fellow veterans.

We need a President who has the vision, the judgment, and the courage to make this change become a reality. Barack Obama will be that President.

From the beginning, Barack had the foresight to speak out against the war and the Bush Administration's terrible mismanagement of it.

Barack Obama will put an end to Bush’s policy blunders and bring our troops home safely and responsibly. Barack and I introduced the Iraq De-escalation Act. (You can view details of our plan at my website, www.murphy08.com.)

Our bill calls for clear benchmarks, a clear timeline for redeployment and a strategic strike force to combat al Qaeda. Most importantly, this redeployment from Iraq will give our military the personnel and equipment it needs to redouble its efforts at destroying al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. We need Senator Obama's comprehensive approach to foreign policy and we need to make sure that we are fighting on the right battlefields.

Barack Obama will bring a new approach to foreign policy, one that understands the world as it really is. He will restore our reputation around the globe and end the Bush vision of foreign policy as a political weapon. And when a Republican candidate tells us that we’ll be in Iraq for 100 years, we know that a change in foreign policy can’t wait one more day.

Barack is also committed to getting our veterans proper treatment. He is the grandson of a World War II veteran and serves on the Senate’s Veteran’s Affairs Committee that just passed the largest increase in veterans’ benefits in the 77 year history of the Veterans Administration. As President, he pledged to have a "zero tolerance" policy for homelessness among our veterans. On any given night, there are 200,000 veterans living on the streets in this country. As President, Barack will end this injustice.

But to truly change our nation's direction, we need more than just new policies. We need you. A few weeks ago, I was up in New Hampshire door-knocking and talked with a 20-year old woman named Julie. She and her brother were supporting Senator Obama. She said, "My brother is a Marine who just left for his fourth deployment in Iraq. We feel that if Obama is our next Commander-in-Chief, he won’t have to go back for a fifth deployment."

That is what this election is about. I know Senator Obama has a rare ability to lead that doesn't come along very often. We need a fundamental change both at home and abroad, and I believe Barack Obama will bring about that change if we give him a chance.


Thank you,
Patrick Murphy
U.S. Representative, (D) PA-08

[Island Blue]

1. I'm still not receiving JK e-mails

ever since I had to change my e-mail address a couple of months ago. I've re-registered using my new e-mail address (several times) but still nothing. Hurumph. I feel unloved.

[beachmom]

2. I wasn't receiving e-mails, but I am pleased to say I received this one.