Harrison vs. Fossella on National Security

Reminder: Meet and greet with Stephen Harrison tonight, details here

Sadly it wasn't at an actual debate as Rep. Vito Fossella is still doing his best to avoid those. Instead it was through seperate interviews in regards to Stephen Harrison's National Security speech. The Staten Island Advance briefly covers the speech and reaction here.

It is not hard to guess where this back and forth was heading, even Steve could foresee enough to predict it in his own speech on Tuesday;

"Now I am sure that as soon as this speech hits the news, Vito Fossella and a gaggle of Republicans, following the advice of Karl Rove, will say Steve Harrison, like all the Democrats, wants to cut and run. He will be wrong. I am not here to cut and run."

As expected Fossella comes out with this brilliant piece on Wednesday, which leads me to guess he had not actually heard Steve's speech:

"It's clear that Steve is advocating a cut-and-run policy," Fossella said. "Despite what he calls it, it is cut and run."

Steve's closing remarks from his Tuesday speech;

"The truth is that it is George Bush and the Republicans who are cutting and running from the American people. They cutting and running from his responsibility to the American people to protect them, to give them hope, to fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence to allow Americans to pursue happiness in its simplest form, freedom from fear, normalcy."

Rep. Fossella had a chance to use his time to arrange debates with his Democratic challenger, but instead he ignored that and the people and came out with his brilliant 'cut and run' that is soo Republicaneese that I can hear President Bush saying that when Fossella speaks.

It is Rep. Fossella who has failed to stand up and introduce legistlation for more body armor for our troops.

It is Rep. Fossella who has failed to hold the President accountable for his failed policies the keep our resources in the Middle East instead of at home in our communities.

It is Rep. Fossella who is underfunding Veterans benefits and the medical needs [and this story, this story, and this one] of our troops returning home. The Department of Defense lists 19,323 US soldiers Injured in Action in Iraq alone.

Rep. Vito Fossella and our Republican Congress are the ones cutting and running from our own armed forces members, not candidates who want to bring them home to their families.