UPDATE:One of Kathy Castor's potential rivals in the November general Congressional election, Republican Mike Prendergast, is criticizing the Tampa area Democrat for voting against funding $33 billion more towards the Afghanistan war effort. Prendegast, running against 3 other Republicans on August 24, says:
“As a 31 year combat veteran who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, I know how important funding is to our efforts overseas. My son just returned from there and my son-in-law left days ago for his seventh tour. Though I will criticize her [Castor] on spending, I would never vote with the news cycle and against our national security."
Certain peace groups are trying to spin yesterday's vote in the House of Representatives to approve an additional $33 billion into the Afghanistan war as somewhat of a victory, in that they got 14 more "anti-war" votes than a similar amendment proposed two weeks ago by Berkeley Democrat Barbara Lee. It came a day after the Wikileaks document drop dominated news coverage around the world. Though the documents don't really contain a smoking gun a la the Pentagon Papers from 1971, it wasn't a good day for those supporting the cause in Afghanistan when they were released.
One of those to vote against funding the war for the first time was Tampa area Democrat Kathy Castor (according to the Nation magazine's Tom Hayden, the other new anti-war votes were cast by Corrine Brown, John Conyers, Rosa Delauro, Lloyd Doggett, Anna Eshoo, Chaka Fattah, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Hank Johnson, Marcy Kaptur, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, Gregory Meeks, James Moran, Christopher Murphy, Carol Shea-Porter, Mike Thompson, Lynn Woolsey and David Wu; while five Republicans joined the opposition: Paul Broun, Vernon Ehlers, Jeff Flake, Phil Gingrey and John Linder.)
This article appears in Jul 22-28, 2010.