Oct 29, 2007

Dear Friends,

I am a member of the Illinois Army National Guard and an Afghanistan War veteran. I am running for Congress out of the same conviction and duty that led me to enlist in the National Guard 26 years ago - two years following law school.

Our great country needs new direction. Following 911, George Bush and the Republican-led Congress had the world and America behind them. However, they squandered that unity. They took our focus off Afghanistan and Osama Bin Laden, and launched a reckless and costly war in Iraq. They ignored important domestic and global issues. They gambled with one of our most precious national assets - our military.

The results are devastating. Over thirty thousand US casualties in Iraq. Half a trillion spent on a war with little to show for it and no end in sight. Hundreds of billions of dollars of American wealth sent abroad as we now import oil at triple the old price. No real push towards energy independence.  No leadership on global warming and climate issues. An ignored domestic agenda. No solutions for  health insurance and rising costs. Meanwhile US income and wealth disparity continues to grow. Tax cuts for the wealthy left in place while we accumulate massive federal war spending debt which we sell to China and other foreign buyers.

We need new leadership to secure our future. I will work tirelessly with Republicans and Democrats to set our great nation in a new direction. Thank you for your help and encouragement. And together let us keep faith in our American democratic ideals.

Very Respectfully,

Joe McMenamin