Roskam to Duckworth: Give Back Kerry's Money

(Press release from Roskam campaign. Duckworth has been silent on Kerry's slur on our troops which he compounded during yesterday's "I apologize to no one" rant, finally apologizing very belatedly late today, very grudgingly and unpersuasively given his past statements maligning our military. Emphasis mine in press release.)

ROSKAM CALLS ON DUCKWORTH TO GIVE BACK JOHN
KERRY'S MONEY

WHEATON - Sixth District Congressional candidate Senator Peter Roskam called for Tammy Duckworth to return the $209,000 in campaign funds she has received from John Kerry this campaign cycle.

"I find Senator Kerry's remarks about the brave men and women serving in Iraq outrageous, as do the people of the Sixth District," said Peter Roskam. "Democrats in other states are distancing themselves from Kerry, and rightly so. Tammy Duckworth should join her fellow Democrats by giving back the $209,000 that Kerry has raised for her campaign."

On Monday, Kerry told a college crowd "You know education, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."

Kerry has gone to great lengths to support Duckworth, having raised more for her campaign than any of the fifteen other House candidates that Kerry has raised money for nationwide. Kerry raised more money for Duckworth than most Senatorial candidates he is supporting. He has also sent out five email solicitations on Duckworth's behalf to national donors who do not share the values and concerns of the Sixth District.

"Sen. Kerry has been a tremendous help to my campaign for change from the very beginning" Duckworth was quoted as saying on the Johnkerry.com website. Duckworth's photo was removed from the front page of Kerry's website mid-day on Wednesday.

Perhaps most telling of Kerry's support of Duckworth is a May comment by her political mentor, Congressman Rahm Emanuel, in Roll Call "Give me five more John Kerry's" says Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.). "He's a fighter, and he puts his money where his mouth is."

By mid-day Wednesday, several Democratic House candidates had turned down support from the unapologetic Senator. Tim Walz, a Democratic House candidate in Minnesota canceled an event with Kerry scheduled for the final days of the campaign, as did Bruce Braley, another Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in Iowa. A Pennsylvania candidate has followed suit.

6th District resident Lori Tompos, who served as a Lieutenant in the 32nd Air Defense Artillery Command said "John Kerry should know that the military needs people with a wide range of abilities to be able to function; the cooks and mechanics are just as valuable as the staff officers and generals. A lot of my friends who have served with me are now in Iraq, they believe in what they're doing and are proud to be there. I just feel that Senator Kerry's comments are insensitive".

Earlier this week, three veterans who served with Tammy Duckworth endorsed Peter Roskam.

UPDATE: Kerry removes from website pix with $$$ amounts of candidates he campaigned and raised money for. At RedState.

Linked to this earlier, but in case you haven't seen it, God Bless Our Troops