Statement by Congressional Candidate Lee Zeldin

PATCHOGUE, NY (08/06/2008)(readMedia)-- Throughout my campaign for Congress, I have repeatedly challenged my opponent to visit our troops in combat. Our front-line personnel deserve the opportunity to meet their Representatives, even those who support them the least. Finally, after more than five years in office that have encompassed the entirety of combat operations in Iraq, he decided to go.

However, the timing of the visit smacks of opportunism. Why now? While he speaks highly of our troops, his voting record proves otherwise. Could it be because he is challenged by an Iraq war veteran in November? Could it be because he finally feels safe because the surge he continues to deride actually worked?

Last year, in an ill-prepared display of public speaking on the floor of Congress, my opponent slammed the surge as "misguided" and lacked the possibility of a "positive outcome," preaching that we can no longer "stay the course." In a maneuver we used to call a CYA (ask a veteran to explain), he's now forced to eat his words and take the trip.

In light of his recent travels, I now call upon my opponent to take things one step further. While in country, he should apologize to the troops he voted against providing with necessary equipment and ammunition twice since December.

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Note- You can't have it both ways. Thanks to a series of loopholes and calculated votes, Congressman Bishop's public relations arm claims that he voted for the troops, although it's indisputable that he voted ' no' on the last two resolutions that provided funding for our forward-deployed personnel:

HR 2642 Funding for Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan (June 19)

HR 2764 Inclusion of Iraq and Afghanistan Military Operations Funding with the Consolidated Appropriations (December 19)

For more details visit: http://www.votesmart.org/voting_category.php?can_id=44518 http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/

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As he's protected by the very troops, ammo and protection he voted against, Congressman Bishop's very presence in Iraq shows that his knee-jerk, partisan pandering proved hypocritical. I call upon him to stand up and admit his mistakes. The experience leaves him no choice but to admit to his constituents and the hard-working men and women of the First C.D. that the surge worked, and that he was dead wrong.

Mr. Bishop, you are now halfway home. It is time to recognize the flaws of your ways, and admit your dangerous, undermining mistakes.

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Zeldin served as an aide to State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle. The Shirley resident studied at the University at Albany, graduated from Albany Law School, and earned his commission through Army ROTC. He was a paratrooper, prosecutor and magistrate with the 82nd Airborne Division and XVIII Airborne Corps. In the summer of 2006, he was a JAG attorney deployed to Iraq. He is currently an attorney at Raiser & Kenniff on Long Island.

For more information on Lee's campaign please visit us at www.zeldin08.com

Paid for by Lee Zeldin for Congress