In my early days of blogging and column writing one of my most frequent topics was the war in Iraq. I was appalled by much of the media coverage and the fact that many politicians were willing to not only ignore the good work being done in the field by our troops, but to go so far as to smear them in an attempt to gain political advantage. It should not be surprising that the story surrounding the primary in NC District 7 struck a nerve with me. The latest news from the losers in that primary race is disappointing to say the least.
From the Politico story headlined “GOP Split Clouds McIntyre Race:”
Two unsuccessful Republican candidates in North Carolina have turned their guns on the primary election winner, endangering the party’s hopes of defeating longtime Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) in November.
GOP voters in the 7th District on May 4 nominated Ilario Pantano, a charismatic Iraq warveteran with a personal story many find compelling and a past encounter with military justice that gives others concern.
Among the latter is Will Breazeale, the second-place finisher and 2008 nominee against McIntyre, who told POLITICO on Wednesday he would do what he can to keep Pantano from winning the seat. He said the third-place finsher, Randy Crow, would join him at a news conference Tuesday in Wilmington, N.C., to discuss their plans.
“We’re going to work against him,” Breazeale — also an Iraq veteran — said. “If the Republicans don’t like it, they can kick me out.”
Breazeale says he has a moral obligation to oppose the nominee because of his actions in Iraq. “It takes a military man like me to explain to civilians how bad that is.” Here is how Breazeale “explained” it following his primary defeat:
Buyers remorse is a tough pill to swallow. I cannot help but think that perhaps many who voted for Ilario Pantano are now realizing their nominee’s claim to fame is the execution of two unarmed Iraqis? In turn, they are already attempting to set up a scapegoat (me) in order to justify his inevitable, massive failure in November.
Breazeale argues that Democrat incumbent McIntyre will use the issue against Pantano in the general election. If McIntyre is stupid enough to go that route I predict the tactic will be every bit as effective as it has been for Breazeale, and might even ensure the first Republican in 140 years takes the seat.
When Ace of Spades wrote about Pantano’s primary win last week the first comment to his blog post was, “What are the odds his Dem challenger outright calls him a murderer anyway, even though he was cleared?” The response from another commenter was, “If it happens, I think the campaign will effectively end, since the D will have just ended his chances of victory and indeed his political career.” They accurately predicted the tactic, but got the party wrong, although the accusations do sound a lot like those of one Democrat – Rep. John Murtha, who declared the Marines in Haditha guilty before all the evidence was in. Several years ago Pantano commented on Murtha’s charges in the Washington Post.
Breazeale has announced he will be calling a press conference next week to continue this attack on Pantano. He is currently reaching out to various media outlets (most recently The Daily Beast), but I can’t help but wonder if he might regret doing so if some of his own past is dredged up in the process. That would not only embarrass Breazeale, but it would continue to take attention away from the choice voters have to make in November.
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