Republican congressional candidate Bob McDermott says partisan politics led Hawaii's Democratic congressional delegation to vote against the Iraq war resolution. McDermott says Iraq vote
had political roots
Associated Press
McDermott said Saturday that he supports the resolution the U.S. House and Senate approved this past week to give President Bush the broad authority he sought to use U.S. military force to confront Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
"I certainly would have voted yes, yes to support our president and end the regime of terror in Iraq," McDermott said.
Hawaii Sens. Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka and Rep. Neil Abercrombie voted against the resolution.
"I do not question the patriotism or intellectual honesty of our senators and congressman," McDermott said. "Rather, I believe that they are all three simply hard-core partisan Democrats for whom it was more important to vote against a Republican president than to do what was right for our nation as a whole."
McDermott said the fact that all three voted against the resolution is a clear sign that Hawaii needs a balanced delegation in Congress.
McDermott faces late Democratic Congresswoman Patsy Mink in the Nov. 5 general election. He has also filed papers to run in the Nov. 30 special election to fill out the remainder of her unexplored term for Hawaii's 2nd District.
