Democrats trying another wounded war veteran as candidate

After War Injury, an Iraq Vet Takes on Politics

By Peter Slevin

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 19, 2006; Page A01

CHICAGO, Feb. 18 The smiling candidate in rimless eyeglasses and a long woolen skirt maneuvers carefully among tables and chairs as she works a crowded Starbucks. She is taking small steps, and the reason for the slight awkwardness in her gait is not instantly clear.

Reaching to shake hands with a voter, she says: "You may have heard of me. I'm the Iraq war vet who's running. I was injured over there." Talking with another, she says: "I actually lost both my legs. I can walk because I got really good health care."

The daughter of a retired Marine, Duckworth was born in Bangkok, where her father, Franklin Duckworth, did U.N. refugee work and married Lamai Sompornpairin, an ethnic Chinese. She spent much of her youth in Southeast Asia. She joined the ROTC while earning a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University.

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BrooklynDodger(s) comments: BrooklynDodger(s) was pleased to see some graduate training in this candidate's resume. As well as some possibly progressive tendencies in her dad. Certainly a military officer has had to have some podium skills as well.

But the Democrats are playing a dangerous game. They just ran a wounded war veteran against a draft dodger, and got trashed over the issue of national security. Iraq war veterans remind the electorate of the war, and it's probably an electorate that still believes Iraq caused 9/11. As Tom Friedman said, when he was campaigning for the Iraq war, and implicitly for W, "These people know how to pull the trigger." People who want a war will vote Republican.

Also, you have the problem of inexperienced people, like Paul Hackett. Whether he was right or wrong, or the party was wrong or right, his outburst has damaged the Democrats chances of taking an Ohio Senate seat. Asking him to run again in that district, against an incumbent [although one that shows she's a jerk] was definitely not a second prize offering by the party.

The other concern is why these people joined up in the first place. There have to be some attitudes there which are suspect.