Why hasn’t Gillibrand condemned moveon.org?
September 12, 2007 – 2:28 pmDear Congresswoman Gillibrand:
It is difficult to understand why you still have not condemned the vicious attack that the radical group Moveon.org instigated more than three days ago on General David Petraeus, a four-star American general who had just left the battlefield to give an objective assessment of the Iraq War to Congress.
The day before the anniversary of the worst attack ever on U.S. soil, Moveon.org placed a full-page ad in The New York Times mockingly referring to Gen. Petraeus as “General Betray Us” and implying that he was lying to the American public. Not only was the ad insulting to the men and women he represented before Congress, it suggests that their commanding general would put them in harms way for his own political agenda. That is an unconscionable accusation.
During these challenging and divisive times, I believe it is the duty of public figures, of both political parties, to speak out and reel in the more extreme elements of American politics today, especially when they target our men and women in uniform. Clearly, MoveOn.org has become one of them.
I already have called upon Republicans to stop calling members of your party “unpatriotic” for opposing the war (NY Sun, Aug. 22), and I now ask that you speak out clearly about MoveOn.org’s recent actions. The most meaningful way you could do that would be to return the considerable sums of money that MoveOn.org has given you and to pledge no longer to accept that organization’s financial backing. Just as Senator Clinton has returned a funder’s tainted money, so, too, should you return MoveOn.org’s tainted money.
Your continued silence gives MoveOn.org the validation it seeks to continue its divisive tactics. You were elected to lead, and I hope that you will do so now by publicly and forcefully breaking with MoveOn.org and rejecting its continued involvement in your campaign.
I look forward to hearing from you on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Richard Wager
