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Monday, October 22, 2007
Watching & waiting...
Posted
By Peter Freyne
on Mon, Oct 22, 2007 at 10:29 AM
Big turnout at the Sheraton presser on Friday. Traumatic Brain Injury [TBI] was the hot topic. Democratic State Sen. Ed Flanagan, recovered from his horrible auto accident of two years ago, was the star. He said he felt “close to 100 percent recovered - like in the high-90s.”
Freshman Democratic Congressman Peter Welch [taking a question, at right, from Ch. 3’s Kate Duffy], whose brother sustained TBI several years ago, also participated.
Yours truly couldn’t ignore the 800-lb TBI gorilla lurking in the corner.
PRESS: Is there any hope in terms of reducing Traumatic Brain Injury, probably the best cure would be to bring the troops home from Iraq? Anything happening on that front?
WELCH: On bringing the troops home?
PRESS: Yeah.
WELCH: Well, we should bring the troops home and what I believe we have to do in Congress is be willing to use the power of the purse ‘cause that’s the power we have and I’m willing to do that. The president is stubbornly clinging to a failed policy and he’s shown no signs of budging. The president didn’t pay attention to the vote of the American people. He didn’t pay attention to the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Commission. He pays no attention whatsoever to our retired generals who can speak freely - most recently Gen. Sanchez - who said the war is a catastrophe.
The commander-in-chief has an awful lot of power and he’s not using it wisely for us.
And all we can do is sit back and let him continue to not use it wisely, eh?
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About The Author
Peter Freyne
Bio:
Peter Freyne, 1949-2009, wrote the weekly political column "Inside Track," which originated in the Vanguard Press in the mid 1980s; he brought it to Seven Days in 1995. He retired it shortly before his death in January, 2009. We all miss him.
Peter Freyne, 1949-2009, wrote the weekly political column "Inside Track," which originated in the Vanguard Press in the mid 1980s; he brought it to Seven Days in 1995. He retired it shortly before his death in January, 2009. We all miss him.
