Edwards' Campaign says Bush Twists Meaning of Patriotism

In an email message sent out to Presidential hopeful John Edwards’ supporters, deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince, called the War on Terror a sledgehammer used by Republicans to crush opposition. Prince was referring to Congress backing down to the President and authorizing more war funding, instead of withholding of funds in order to end the war. The White House had been claiming that cutting off war funding would deny the troops adequate equipment, hinting that those who supported such action were unpatriotic and did not support the troops. Of course the point of cutting off funding is that the President would be forced to bring the troops home. Otherwise it would be he who left the troops in a war without adequate funding.

According to the email, Edwards “went to the heart of America's foreign policy establishment and called out the Bush crowd for their misuse of patriotism.” Prince further stated that “the Bush Terror Doctrine has failed our troops and failed America by straining our military to the breaking point and sowing chaos around the world.”

Prince stated that the Republican party was also using the war to personally attack Edwards, who has come out against the war. Prince wrote that Republicans were accusing Edwards of war profiteering by getting support for his opposition to the war and the selling of tee shirts. Prince pointed out that “if the RNC really wants to attack someone for profiteering, they should call Dick Cheney's friends at Halliburton and ask them to return the billions of dollars they've made on a war that Dick Cheney promoted from day one.” Dick Cheney is the former CEO of Halliburton, a company that received “no-bid contracts” in Iraq and elsewhere. Halliburton recently moved its headquarters from the United States to Dubai, a move some believe was an attempt to avoid investigation.

Prince finished with a call to action stating that opponents of the war “have a right to speak out…have a right to stand up for our beliefs…and…have a responsibility to support the campaign that is leading the way and working to end this war.” He was obviously referring to the Edwards campaign.