The Hackett Factor: Portent of Disaster or Harbiner of Doom?

[elucidator]

The brief skinny: Paul Hackett is a soldier returned from Iraq, running for office in Ohio's 2nd District, running as a Democrat. And saying some very not nice things about The Leader. Very not nice. He is opposed by Ms. Jean Schmidt, who says some kinda mean things about Mr. Hackett (not as mean as what Mr. Limbaugh had to say, but thats another matter...). Ms Schmidt appears to be running on a platform of I Love The Leader! Mr. Hacketts platform: The Leader Bites It!

The polls are closing, the results will be coming in, and people who give a rats ass are invited to gloat and/or opine.

[silenus]

Ummmm......ok?

I hope whoever wins is an honest politician. :D

[rjung]

It's worth noting that the local Republicans have been hard at work with a Swift Boat-type smear (http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/07/oh-2_swift_boat.php) of Hackett.

But then, if the GOP has no shame in going after Max Cleland, (http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Max_Cleland_070303.htm) Hackett certainly wouldn't pose a problem for them.

[elucidator]

And, of course, that's a harbinger of doom.

[NurseCarmen]

OH-2 is just to strongly republican for Hackett to win, but the big suprise will that he will lose by single digit percentage points. A blue waltzed into a red and almost pulled it off. I think it will ultimately send a message to the extreme right wing of the party that maybe they aren't as invincible as they think they are. Hopefully a centrist movement grows out of it.

[askeptic]

Hey Luci, its harbinger... :p

[NurseCarmen]

There is also a cheeseburger of doom, and a cooler of doom, and hairbrainer of doom.

[Merijeek]

I hope one of our local nutjobs can confirm for me how things work.

The American Soldier - Hero, guardian, father, brother, son, the man we owe our freedome and respect

The American Soldier Criticizing The Leader - Fucking douchebag hippie

So, really, as long as they stay Over There they're heroes. Who knows what they'll say once they get back here?

All correct?

-Joe

[askeptic]

I swear your post wasn't there when I started typing the above.

[Merijeek]

(and after we give him our freedome maybe we can thank him for our freedom)

-Joe^2

[Atticus Finch]

If you're alleging a Swift Boat style smear campaign against this guy, can you provide evidence of it? Defamatory statements, that kind of thing? Rjung's link is incredibly vague.

[Bill Door]

I just took a look at preliminary results. As of 8:59 pm EDT and with 84% of the precincts reported the total vote was 15,207 votes cast out of 60,900 registered voters. With a clear difference between the two candidates 3 out of 4 voters didn't bother to show up. Pitiful.

[Merijeek]

If you're alleging a Swift Boat style smear campaign against this guy, can you provide evidence of it? Defamatory statements, that kind of thing? Rjung's link is incredibly vague.

His link is not vague.

Or you can just go to Deaf oxycontin addict's website (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html) and see how Hackett is listed at the top of the front page.

Of course, the worthless shitbag also calls McCain a pussy (boy, them RW talkers sure love their veterans - or at least claim to around election time) and whines about how the Democrats were being bullies with the whole Bolton deal.

-Joe

[NurseCarmen]

Rush calling a guy fresh back from Fellujah a "Staff Puke" is pretty damn disgusting. When I read about that and the attempted smears, I contributed 20 bucks to Hackett's campaign.

[elucidator]

As of an hour ago, neck and neck, 52% to 48% in favor of Shmidt.

Now, I had heard vague mentions that this was a very conservative district, and any Dem contender wasn't considered much of a threat. Anybody got any good background on this? I could go looking for it if I weren't so lazy and easily....ooooh! shiny!

[Frank]

No Democrat has received more than 37% of the vote in that district since 1974. Even if Hackett loses, the narrowness of the race should send chills down the spines of the Republican leadership.

[NurseCarmen]

662 precincts of 753 reporting (http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/08/02/election_results.html)
JEAN SCHMIDT 49,681 50%
PAUL HACKETT 48,811 50%

Last Updated: 8/02/2005 9:53pm

Wow. If it stays this close expect a recount.

[Frank]

[off topic completely]
Looking at the map of the district reminded me that Portsmouth, Ohio has some really nice murals (http://www.portsmouthmuralproducts.com/) on the floodwall. Well worth seeing if you're in the area.

[elucidator]

Not that far off topic. True, its not about the murals on the wall, its about the handwriting.

[elucidator]

...Wow. If it stays this close expect a recount.

210 write-in votes for Buddy Hackett have been discovered....

DEGENERATING......

[Miller]

There is also a cheeseburger of doom, and a cooler of doom, and hairbrainer of doom.

I'll have the cheeseburger of doom, with a side of perilous fries, and a small cola of uncertainty.

[Bill Door]

I just took a look at preliminary results. As of 8:59 pm EDT and with 84% of the precincts reported the total vote was 15,207 votes cast out of 60,900 registered voters. With a clear difference between the two candidates 3 out of 4 voters didn't bother to show up. Pitiful.

I should have stated that my results were from Warren County, where I live. I'm hoping the rest of the district got a better turnout than that. The final results for Warren County were:

REGISTERED VOTERS - TOTAL 73,878

BALLOTS CAST - TOTAL 18,320 24.80

REPRESENTATIVE TO CONGRESS 2ND DISTRICT
UNEXPIRED TERM
ONE TO BE ELECTED
PAUL HACKETT DEM 5,420 41.77
JEAN SCHMIDT REP 7,556 58.23

[NurseCarmen]

So BillDoor, Hackett lost Warren 41.77% to 58.23%, do you have any insight as to the ratio of Republican to Dem votes in 2004? It would be interesting to see if there was any movement.

[Fear Itself]

So BillDoor, Hackett lost Warren 41.77% to 58.23%, do you have any insight as to the ratio of Republican to Dem votes in 2004? It would be interesting to see if there was any movement.Bush beat Kerry by 72% to 28%, a major reversal.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/OH/P/00/county.003.html

[PigBoy]

This race is 50-50 now, but apparently the only votes not in yet are from Clermont County, which is basically suburban and will probably produce similar numbers as Bill Door's report from Warren County. So I expect this will go to the Republicans, but by a damn close margin for this district.



Originally Posted by NurseCarmen
So BillDoor, Hackett lost Warren 41.77% to 58.23%, do you have any insight as to the ratio of Republican to Dem votes in 2004? It would be interesting to see if there was any movement.
Bush beat Kerry by 72% to 28%, a major reversal.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pa...county.003.html
The congressional race in Warren County (the part of the county in this district) had about the same margin.

While the shift is notable, it's probably due to special circumstances, and it probably doesn't mean much in the long run. I don't see metropolitan Cincinnati giving up its Republicanism any time soon. The rural counties in this district are also interesting, though. They seem to have gone pretty strongly to Hackett this time; they voted Republican in the last election. Maybe his attack ads against Schmidt worked... he calls her a politician "in the Bob Taft mold". Taft is not a Republican to associate with right now; he's the least popular governor in the country.

[Jonathan Chance]

Boy, that's right. Here in Ohio all the democrats who will be going after the Governor's office are essentially planning to say 'we're not Taft and Taft is a Republican'.

And the Republican's are sort of planning the same thing. A complete disassociation with the incumbent even though he's part of their own party.

Gonna be a weird election cycle next year.

As for this one it's yet to be seen whether this is just an oddball or an early sign of the typical 'President lose ground in off year of 2nd term' thing. Way too early to draw a conclusion.

[Fear Itself]

The congressional race in Warren County (the part of the county in this district) had about the same margin.Yep, Portman (R) over Sanders (D) in Warren County, 78% to 22% .

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004//pages/results/states/OH/H/02/county.000.html

[elucidator]

...And the Republican's are sort of planning the same thing. A complete disassociation with the incumbent even though he's part of their own party.....

That would be this governor fellow, right?

(Ohio guys, always a bit too fond of ambiguity and nuance...)

[Squink]

US HOUSE Ohio 2nd Dist
753 precincts of 753 reporting
JEAN SCHMIDT 57,974 52%
PAUL HACKETT 54,401 48%
here (http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/08/02/election_results.html)

[Chance the Gardener]

Hackett's doing exceptionally well in the rural districts because of comments like, "I believe that gun control is when you hit what you aim your gun at." That sort of thing, um, strikes a chord with rural voters. That he's a veteran sure counts for something in this race, but I'd bet dollars to hollowpoints that his openly gun-friendly politics count for more. And, as PigBoy pointed out, the utter exasperation with Taft is having its effect. I know quite a few Ohioans, and all of them nearly spit whenever they say that man's name. Of course, the Ohioans I know come from northeast Ohio, which is more Democratic than the rest of the state, but the fact remains that brand Taft is damaged goods, and can only hurt the Republican candidate in this race.

I can't wait for Ohio's gubernatorial race next year. Taft will certainly be of no use to the Republican candidate, but what I'm wondering is: will his taint hurt the Republican candidate? I don't know much about who the candidates might be, but it looks like conditions are pretty good for the Democrats to move back into Columbus next year. Mike DeWine could be in trouble, too, but I have a hunch he'll keep his job.

[NurseCarmen]

Total (88% reporting)

Schmidt 49644 (50%)
Hackett 48751 (50%)

by county

Pike (100% reporting)
H 2659 (63%) (Kerry 48% in 2004)
S 1559 (37%) (Bush 52% in 2004)

Scioto (100%)
H 4925 (65%) (48% Kerry in 2004)
S 2638 (35%) (52% Bush in 2004)

Adams (100%)
H 2101 (52%) (36% Kerry in 2004)
S 1911 (48%) (64% Bush in 2004)

Brown (100%)
H 3950 (56%) (36% Kerry in 2004)
S 3100 (44%) (64% Bush in 2004)

Warren (100%)
S 7556 (58%) (72% Bush in 2004)
H 5420 (42%) (28% Kerry in 2004)

Hamilton (100%)
S 25011 (51%) (53% Bush in 2004)
H 23597 (49%) (47% Kerry in 2004)

Clermont (52% reporting)
S 7869 (56%) (71% Bush in 2004)
H 6099 (44%) (29% Kerry in 2004)


Bush was as strong in Clermont as he was in Warren in 2004. Looks like Hackett loses this one in a squeaker.

I find it curious that Hackett sees an at least 15% increase in every single county except for it's most heavily Democratic and populous county, Hamilton.

[NurseCarmen]

Okay, after reviewing my last post, I'll admit that I should be wearing a tinfoil hat, but da-amn if there aint a pattern emerging in these close races.

[PigBoy]

I find it curious that Hackett sees an at least 15% increase in every single county except for it's most heavily Democratic and populous county, Hamilton.
Well, the 2nd District includes only a portion of Hamilton County, and I don't suppose it's a particularly Democratic portion. (The Democractic areas are probably mostly central Cincinnati; this part looks like mainly some eastern suburbs.) The Congressional race in this part of the county was 70-30 in favor of the Republican Rob Portman in 2004, although it should be remembered that he had the advantage incumbency.

[elucidator]

Okay, after reviewing my last post, I'll admit that I should be wearing a tinfoil hat...

Remember: always fold the foil parallel to true magnetic north, otherwise, the protection against telepathic rays will be compromised.

[Wolfian]

Gonna be a weird election cycle next year.
I'm moving to Cincinnati in a month. Just what am I walking into politically? Apparently the governor is in a scandal, but I'm from New Jersey so I'm used to that ;) .

[elucidator]

Daily Kos says its over, Hackett lost by four points.

Offered without comment.

[Beware of Doug]

I'm moving to Cincinnati in a month. Just what am I walking into politically? Apparently the governor is in a scandal, but I'm from New Jersey so I'm used to that ;) .Just be very, very nice to your local Gauleiter and you should be fine.
:dubious:

[Wolfian]

Just be very, very nice to your local Gauleiter and you should be fine.
:dubious:
:eek:

[Blues Brothers]I fuckin' hate the fuckin' Nazis.[/BB]

[Bricker]

Ms Schmidt appears to be running on a platform of I Love The Leader! Mr. Hacketts platform: The Leader Bites It!

If your analysis above is correct, and given the results.... then it would seem absolutely clear....

....that Diebold was somehow involved!! Also, cell phone users probably weren't polled correctly. And police intimidated African-American voters!

Did I leave any possibility out?

[nameless]

Overestimation of the youth vote?

[DoctorJ]

I'm moving to Cincinnati in a month. Just what am I walking into politically? Apparently the governor is in a scandal, but I'm from New Jersey so I'm used to that.
I've never lived there, but I have all kinds of friends and family there. It's sort of a quintessential midwestern town in most aspects, but its politics are more conservative than even most Southern cities its size. For instance, there were no nudie bars in Cincinnati proper for many years because of local ordinances; I think there may be one now.

On the other hand, you have Bogart's, Graeter's, and way more top-notch butchers per capita than just about anywhere.

[Jonathan Chance]

I'm moving to Cincinnati in a month. Just what am I walking into politically? Apparently the governor is in a scandal, but I'm from New Jersey so I'm used to that ;) .

Note: I live in Ohio.

Point the first: By reputation Cincinnati is the most conservative large city in the USA.

Point the second: Republican Governor Taft isn't so much involved in a scandal as an overbearing miasma of incompetence. From investing pension funds in rare coins (what next? Beanie Babies?) to general economic fecklessness he's down to between 15-20% approval. He is, for all intents, hors de combat on the political scene. Even the national republican party would like him to fall into a black hole and not be associated with they're brand again. Current aspirers to the Governor's office include Ken Blackwell, R Secretary of State and Ted Strickland, longtime Democratic member of the US House Representatives. There will be others as well.

Of course, we're also the state that produced Jim Traficant. God help us all.

[PigBoy]

I'm moving to Cincinnati in a month. Just what am I walking into politically? Apparently the governor is in a scandal, but I'm from New Jersey so I'm used to that .To add to the above couple of posts...

Metro Cincinnati is strongly conservative, but I don't think it's that people are more conservative than other conservatives. It's just that there are more of them than usual. Also, this is the home of the giant Jesus (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=289119)!

However, there are such creatures known as "Democrats" in the area. Their natural habitat is basically within the city limits of Cincinnati. FWIW, last year voters in the city did repeal a law that denied protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation. If you are a liberal and living in the suburbs, though, it just might be your personal political hell.

Oh, and a friendly word of advice: learn to love the chili or you'll be run out of town. ;)

Of course, we're also the state that produced Jim Traficant. God help us all.Don't forget Jerry Springer, former Cincy mayor!

[World Eater]

I think it will ultimately send a message to the extreme right wing of the party that maybe they aren't as invincible as they think they are. Hopefully a centrist movement grows out of it.

I think it will only teach the monkeys to fling the poo harder next time.

[Zebra]

I think the question to ponder is if Bush is going to be a liability to congressmen running for re-election at the midterm.

His popularity is down and in districts that are close, usually the President can show up and make a few speeches and help out. But if he can't...

[Rysto]

Wait, so this isn't a thread about how the Flyers need to improve their goaltending? :smack:

carry on

[black rabbit]

I'm moving to Cincinnati in a month. Just what am I walking into politically? Apparently the governor is in a scandal, but I'm from New Jersey so I'm used to that ;) .

The city itself is pretty Democratic. There are only two Republicans on the nine-member City Council, and the mayor is a Democrat. Like most small-town city politics, however, the elected officials are pretty much useless; they tend to play toward their own personal constituencies and spend more time hamming it up for the cameras and the papers than actually working out an agenda or consistent set of policies.

There are a total of four current local politicians who I believe are worth a spit;

1) David Crowley (D, Council): He owns a bar in a rather swanky hillside arts & entertainment neighborhood, but he's a good guy. Typical overeducated liberal elite, but he's honest.

2) Chris Smitherman (I [well, technically, Charterite, but you don't need to know that right now], Council): A young financial planner, who happens to be African American. He's something of a firebrand, and was called a "smart-mouthed little punk" by the county prosecutor for criticizing the insularity of the police department. My kind of dude.

3) Mark Mallory (D, State Senate): He's not afraid to stake out actual policy positions in a legislature that's completely hostile to his ideas. I've met him a few times, and he's an incredibly thoughtful guy. He's running for mayor, but he'll probably lose.

4) Todd Portune (D, County Commission): The only Dem in a county-wide office. He's also a pretty thoughtful guy, and isn't afraid to vociferously defend social services or put the screws to the local power elites.

Mayor Charlie, despite being a Democrat, is a complete chump and a tool of the business community. He might as well be a Republican, but he comes from something of a local democratic dynasty. His likely successor, David Pepper, is also a Democrat. He's the son of the former CEO of P&G, and recently proposed to raise the penalty for posession of small amounts of pot from a $100 ticket to a year in jail. Whatever.

Thanks to the miracle of political districting, the first and second congressional districs split the city itself between them, rounding out the majority of their votes with the more conservative suburbs. I'm sure depriving the Democrats of a natural constituency was the last thing on the (GOP-controlled) Legislature's mind when they drew the map up.

Oh, and I've lived here all my life, and I can't stand the chili. Well, except on cheese coneys. Goetta, however, is the shit.

[UncleBeer]

And, of course, that's a harbinger of doom.
What about the carabiner of doom? And the carabineer?

Always getting the short shrift, I tell ya.

[UncleBeer]

From investing pension funds in rare coins (what next? Beanie Babies?)
You're not that far off. Along with the rare coins, some of the funds from that Worker's Comp Bureau were "invested" in wine and race horses.

"Invested." Right. Gotcha. And I'm heavily invested in fast food; got a bunch of french fries stored under the couch cushions.

[Gala Matrix Fire]

Is this anywhere near Ohio's 20th district, where former hostage Terry Anderson (http://www.answers.com/topic/terry-anderson) was defeated by his Republican, incumbent opponent who had the balls to imply that he was soft on terror?

From an article (http://www.rochester-citynews.com/gbase/Gyrosite/Content?oid=oid%3A3078) on the web:

[snip] This wasn't even Padgett's worst. That was reserved for a flier that showed a photo of Anderson interviewing one of his Hezbollah captors years after Anderson's hostage release. It was positioned next to an out-of-context quote from Anderson (which appeared in The Athens News in October 2001) about trying to understand the motivations of people in the Middle East, along with Padgett's charge that Anderson is "soft on terrorism" and part of the "blame America first" crowd." [snip]

[PunditLisa]

Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. Taft is an incompetent buffoon.

I'm not in Oh-2 but I was rooting for Hackett to eke out a victory. I can't stand when people blindly vote party lines. Argh! I'd rather vote for an honest person who I'm at political odds with over a corrupt person who waves my party's banner. As for the next election, I won't be voting for anyone who is close to Gov. Taft because something is rotten in the state of Ohio and it's starting to stink up the place.

[rjung]

I haven't been following the Hackett election too closely, but what's this I hear about 4,000+ votes for Schmidt "suddenly" turning up five minutes before the election was over? :dubious:

[elucidator]

I've heard no such thing, myself, and I watched pretty close. But there are some mighty twitchy sphincters in Washington tonight. This is one of the solidest Tighty Righty districts out there, and this Hackett guy ran on a "fuck Bush" platform against a ton of money and damn near did it.

This is good. Could have been better, but this is good. If Ms Schmidt had only had a bit more direct support from GeeDubya, she might have still managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

GeeDubya isn't a lame duck, he's an albatross. A radioactive albatross.

[Otto]

I haven't been following the Hackett election too closely, but what's this I hear about 4,000+ votes for Schmidt "suddenly" turning up five minutes before the election was over?
I heard something about that on Air America today, but it was Randi Rhodes so who knows? A quick Google turns up a lot of blogs mentioning the 4,000 vote margin of victory but nothing I could see regarding shenanigans or votes suddenly appearing.

Not that it would surprise me to find out that the Republicans cheated, but I haven't seen or heard anything other than RR.

[Hentor the Barbarian]

I heard something about that on Air America today, but it was Randi Rhodes so who knows? A quick Google turns up a lot of blogs mentioning the 4,000 vote margin of victory but nothing I could see regarding shenanigans or votes suddenly appearing.

Not that it would surprise me to find out that the Republicans cheated, but I haven't seen or heard anything other than RR.Well, the votes did show up "suddenly," but for those of us watching the proceedings, it was clear that a large number of votes from about 100 precincts were being hand counted, and most people recognized that they could go for Schmidt, which they did.

It had been 50/50 for a long while, so perhaps it felt to some like a surprise dumping of votes.

I agree that this is a good thing. A very good thing. It would have been icing to have actually turned the seat, but it's still fine. Some feel strongly that without the victory, it doesn't matter. I wonder how confused these people were by the first Rocky movie.

[Jonathan Chance]

Is this anywhere near Ohio's 20th district, where former hostage Terry Anderson (http://www.answers.com/topic/terry-anderson) was defeated by his Republican, incumbent opponent who had the balls to imply that he was soft on terror?

From an article (http://www.rochester-citynews.com/gbase/Gyrosite/Content?oid=oid%3A3078) on the web:

[snip] This wasn't even Padgett's worst. That was reserved for a flier that showed a photo of Anderson interviewing one of his Hezbollah captors years after Anderson's hostage release. It was positioned next to an out-of-context quote from Anderson (which appeared in The Athens News in October 2001) about trying to understand the motivations of people in the Middle East, along with Padgett's charge that Anderson is "soft on terrorism" and part of the "blame America first" crowd." [snip]

That would be my district down here in Marietta. You wouldn't believe the loca TV commercials Padgett ran. Pix of Anderson backed by the flames of hell and so forth. The personal animosity was so great towards the end that during a debate here Anderson made his opening statement then said he wouldn't share a stage with someone with so little character as Padgett and left.

My mind was actually made up against Padgett because of those ads.

[Hal Briston]

Wait, so this isn't a thread about how the Flyers need to improve their goaltending? :smack:Hell, I can't believe that no one has made a Mike Heimerdinger joke yet.

[elucidator]

Please tell me that's the name of a major Republican honcho who's involved in a scandal with Jeff Gannon, investigative journalist and man-ho extraordinaire. That would be better than a pony.

[EddyTeddyFreddy]

It would appear that Hackett's near win is no fluke. There's growing anger at the ongoing loss of life in Iraq, more and more questioning of whether it's worth it, among the people of Ohio who should be most solidly behind the Bush administration.

More dead bring anguish, anger in Ohio (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/08/05/more_dead_bring_anguish_anger_in_ohio/): This week's events shook the Buckeye State to its core, as communities across the northern half of the state lost sons to Operation Iraqi Freedom, all members of the Brook Park-based H&S unit of the 25th Marines, which has had hundreds of reservists called up for duty. Nine of the dead were in one Columbus-based company.

While other states have suffered spates of casualties, Ohio's loss of 14 reservists in two days, after losing two others a week earlier, was one of the war's harshest blows to hit a civilian area -- and seemed to trigger a new benchmark in public grief and discontent with the war's casualties.

Ohioans describe their state as patriotic and supportive of the troops. The state last year gave a narrow, critical win to an incumbent president defending his decision to send soldiers to fight in Iraq. But the shock of the recent deaths -- combined with growing worries that the 2 1/2-year-old conflict remains unresolved -- has more residents wondering whether the sacrifice has been worth it.

[snip]

''For the most part, this city has supported the war," [a Tallmadge city council member] said. ''But this town is a very close-knit community. Everybody knows everybody. This is pretty much devastating. People are saying, 'Why are we here now? Let's get out -- it's enough.' When it hits close to home -- that's enough."

Paul Hackett, an Iraq war veteran who narrowly lost a special election for an Ohio seat in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, said Ohioans -- particularly those in military families -- remain a patriotic group. But they are beginning to question why the United States is still in Iraq, and what is being accomplished there, he added.

''The meaning of [the deaths] of these patriots who were just killed is further evidence of the failure of this administration to do anything over there worthwhile," said Hackett, a reserve US Marine major who was heading to Washington, D.C., yesterday for training. ''Why did they die? What did they die for? The search for weapons of mass destruction? No. To topple a dictator and make his people free? No. Free to do what?" Hackett said, referring to dangers on the streets of Iraq.

[snip]

The reverberations from Ohio reached Bush yesterday, as he remarked from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, that ''the community outside of Cleveland, Brook Park, Ohio, suffered mightily over the last couple of days" and that ''I hope they can take comfort in the fact that millions of their fellow citizens pray for them."

The president added that ''we will stay the course, we will finish the job in Iraq." The job, Bush explained, is to ''help the Iraqis develop a democracy."

For many Ohioans, especially those who supported the Iraq war as a means to fight terrorism, the lengthening mission to promote democracy is a less passionate cause.

Dawes, the Vietnam veteran from Brook Park whose nephew was among those killed, questioned what the United States was gaining in Iraq, beyond military contracts for large corporations.

''The rich man has got richer, and the poor man has lost his kids," Dawes said. ''That's the way it was [in Vietnam], and that's the way it is now."

Bricker, with all due respect, how can you look at such evidence of growing disaffection in one of the Republicans' core constituencies and still be so sanguine about the 2006 elections? Unless you expect the news from Iraq to become tremendously better over the next year, doesn't it seem far more likely that opposition to the war, and to the administration and party that got us into it, will strengthen rather than dwindling? If the Democrats put up more Hacketts to run against the Republicans, I predict a marked shift in the balance of power in Congress.