Rep. Shimkus is an Embarrassment
Shimkus is an Embarrassment and Should Apologize to the Troops and the Families of the Fallen
Comparing a War Which Has Cost 3,300 Americans Their Lives to a Baseball Game is the same Reckless Attitude Which Led to the Debacle we have in Iraq Today
May 2, 2007 (Washington D.C.) - Today on the House floor, U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) compared the war in Iraq to a Major League baseball game, asking fellow members of Congress to "Imagine my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are playing the much despised Chicago Cubs." Shimkus' remarks represent the same type of reckless and cavalier attitude displayed by President Bush and his Administration which led us into the current debacle we have in Iraq which has cost more than 3,300 American lives and resulted in more than 32,000 brave Americans being wounded in the crosshairs of a civil war.
"Mr. Shimkus - the war in Iraq is not a game and the deaths of 3,300 Americans there should not be treated like one," said Americans United for Change President Brad Woodhouse. "Rep. Shimkus' remarks have demeaned the efforts of our troops, are an affront to the sacrifices America and our fighting men and women have made in Iraq and are a complete and utter embarrassment. Rep. Shimkus should apologize and beg for forgiveness from his constituents, our military men and women and their families and from the people of America. He should visit with wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed hospital in Washington and in his own congressional district and tell them in no uncertain terms that he respects their sacrifice and that he does not consider the war in Iraq - or any war for that matter - to be a game. If Rep. Shimkus can't do that - apologize for his remarks and ask forgiveness from those who has offended - he may want to consider whether he has worn out his usefulness as a representative for the people he was elected to represent."
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Hat tip to: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/02/shimkus-cubbies/
Rep. Shimkus: Iraq War Is Like ‘My Beloved St. Louis Cardinals' Facing ‘The Cubbies'
Today on the House floor, Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) compared the war in Iraq to a Major League Baseball feud, asking fellow members of Congress to "Imagine my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are playing the much despised Chicago Cubs."
The Cardinals are up by five finishing the top of the ninth. Is this a cause for celebration? Is this a cause for victory? No. Unbelievable as it may seem, the Cubbies score five runs in the bottom of the ninth to throw the games into extra innings. There the score remains until 1:00 AM five innings later. However at the top of the 15th, the Cardinals fail to field a batter. The entire team has left the stadium. ... Who wins? We know it's the team that stays on the field.
Imagine my beloved St. Louis Cardinals are playing the much despised Chicago Cubs. The Cardinals are are up by five, finishing the top of the ninth. Is this a cause for celebration? Is this a cause for victory? No. Unbelievable as it may seem, the Cubbies score five runs in the bottom of the ninth to throw the games into extra innings. There the score remains until 1:00 AM, five innings later. However, at the top of the 15th, the Cardinals fail to field a batter. The entire team has left the stadium. It seems that they are more worried about next day's 1:00 PM game at home than finishing the game at hand. Who wins? We know it's the team that stays on the field. Arbitrary deadlines and a date certain accept defeat before the conclusion of the contest. It is our national security interest that continue to take the field and support a moderate Arab state. Leaving prior assures a loss for us and victory for our opponents which will lead to another extremist Islamic state.