War opponents take aim at Coleman

01/28/2007

Republican senator is target of a campaign after voting against a resolution that opposes sending more troops to Iraq.


By Rob Hotakainen,
Star Tribune
Last update: January 26, 2007


WASHINGTON - As demonstrators prepared for an anti-war rally today in Washington, groups opposed to the war in Iraq announced that they're targeting Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., as part of a national campaign to stop the troop increase proposed by President Bush.

Monday, a group of Iraq veterans is scheduled to appear at a St. Paul press conference to pressure Coleman to vote for a resolution that would oppose sending 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

Coleman, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, voted against the resolution on Wednesday. But it passed, and Coleman will vote on it again when it hits the Senate floor.

"This vote makes it painfully clear that Senator Coleman is joining President Bush in ignoring the safety of our troops and the opinions of top military leaders, the Iraq Study Group and the American people," said Moira Mack of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq.

Anti-war groups plan to target Coleman and eight other Senate Republicans: Richard Lugar of Indiana, George Voinovich of Ohio, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, Judd Gregg and John Sununu of New Hampshire, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and John Warner of Virginia.

Starting in St. Paul, the veterans are planning a two-day, seven-state tour to make the case for the resolution sponsored by Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb. The veterans are associated with VoteVets.org, a founding partner of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq.

Coleman has been in the national spotlight since Jan. 10, when he announced his opposition to Bush's request. But Coleman has made a distinction between sending more troops to Baghdad and sending them to Anbar Province.

Friday, Coleman spokesman Tom Steward said that Coleman "continues to oppose the troop surge in Baghdad" but that the Biden-Hagel resolution "is overreaching and also expresses opposition to reinforcing troops in the Anbar Province where our troops are winning against a terrorist insurgency."