Vets group aims to sway Emerson, 13 others on Iraq

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's stance on the Iraq war made her a target Tuesday for a veterans group seeking to sharply reduce U.S. involvement.

Emerson, who voted "present" on the bill that provided funding for the war but also set a deadline to begin withdrawing troops, must make up her mind whether she supports or opposes President George Bush's war policies, said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org.

Soltz, an Army captain who served with the 1st Armored Division in Iraq from May to September 2003, said the "present" vote shouldn't be acceptable to Emerson's constituents.

"A draw isn't good enough when men and women are dying," he said. "Present is not good enough when we don't have enough equipment and armor. If you don't want to be a congresswoman, go home, but don't throw your vote away."

VoteVets.org will air three TV ads at a cost of $500,000 to urge 14 senators and representatives to break ranks with Bush and support efforts to reduce or remove U.S. troops from Iraq. The ads began Wednesday and will run in the legislators' districts. A sample can be viewed on the Internet on YouTube.com.

The ads will feature three retired generals in an attempt to show that Bush, despite his public statements, does not listen to commanders on the ground in Iraq. The first ad will feature Maj. Gen. John Batiste, a retired commander who led the 1st Infantry Division from August 2002 to June 2005. The division was deployed to northern Iraq from February 2004 to February 2005. Batiste is a Republican who voted twice for Bush, the statement said.

In the video clip of Batiste, he directs criticism at the president: "You continue to pursue the failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and Marine Corps I left in protest to speak out. Mr. President, you have placed our nation in peril."

For Emerson, of Cape Girardeau, moving from an ambiguous position to one that supports efforts to reduce U.S. troop levels would be a major break with her Republican colleagues.

"Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson is seen as a particularly important member of Congress on the Iraq war issue because in the most recent vote for the Iraq Accountability Act, she switched her vote to 'present,' signaling some serious hesitation about supporting the president's reckless Iraq policy," VoteVets.org said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

Emerson declined to be interviewed for this article through spokesman Jeffrey Connor, who offered no comment on the ad campaign.

After her vote on the war funding resolution, which Bush has vetoed, Emerson released the following statement:

"I cannot abide the way this war is being conducted, but neither can I lend my support to a measure that politicizes the men and women in uniform so bravely serving our country. I sincerely hope that, when the political dust settles, this Congress can pass a meaningful emergency supplemental appropriations bill that will send both a message of severe urgency to the Iraqi government and a message of encouragement to our troops."

All of the 14 members of Congress targeted for the ad campaign have expressed either publicly or privately that they disagree with Bush on his war policies, Soltz said. But their votes in Congress, except for Emerson, have supported Bush's political stands.

"They say, 'We are with you, we are with you' when we talk to them," Soltz said. "But when it comes down to key votes, they are with the president."

VoteVets doesn't want a unilateral withdrawal from Iraq, Soltz said. The organization instead wants a diplomatic initiative that will create a regional security framework.

"We are for a responsible redeployment and destroying al-Qaida, the people who attacked this country," Soltz said. "Right now, we are a magnet for attack."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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