Lincoln Chafee for Governor of Rhode Island

I want to be among the first to endorse former Senator Lincoln Chafee for governor in 2010. I know; this is awfully early and Chafee has not formally announced his intentions. Today, Chafee did say that he will spend the next months laying the groundwork for a potential Independent campaign for governor. I want to give a few reasons why I think he can be successful.

First and foremost; Lincoln Chafee has always followed his own heart and mind. Nobody controls Lincoln Chafee. To me he has been a true "profile in courage". I must admit though, I did not always vote for him. Lincoln always had my vote until his last senatorial election, when through no fault of his own, circumstances got in the way. I owe Lincoln Chafee; big time! The election of 2006 was the hardest decision I ever had to make in a voting booth. At stake was control of the U.S. Senate following the many years of Republican leadership that tarnished the Nation. I felt ill voting against Linc. This is something I'll always remember; control of the Senate rested upon the shoulders of Rhode Island voters. I made a promise that day to myself; if given a chance to make it right, I would offer my support.

Lincoln Chafee always seemed to take reasoned pathways through politics. He never stuck to ideology when reason took him in an opposite direction. He stood tall when the country was facing the blunder that would become Iraq. He not only stood tall, he stood alone at times and faced the snickering response of his fellow Republicans. Lincoln Chafee was right, the snickering hoards were wrong!

I remember Linc being interviewed on national TV following the vote on Iraq in the Senate. He was standing on the Capitol steps and he simply stated; what if we're wrong? What if there are no weapons of mass destruction? He argued that the evidence presented was thin (more on this in tomorrow's post). He argued that we would lose stature throughout the world. He was right. Thank you Lincoln Chafee for not following the crowd.

Another important point that is seldom discussed but needs to be part of the debate on our Iraq decision; the Constitution only gives the U.S. Congress the power to declare war. Legislators that voted to give away their constitutional authority to one man, President Bush, did not live by their oath of office. The Congress simply authorized Bush to make the decision. Every legislator that voted to empower Bush in this way should have been impeached for breaking their oath. I'm including John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and every other congressperson charged with protecting our freedoms. Some of these folks took away our freedom with their vote on that painful day. Linc Chafee voted to protect our freedom.

Following Linc's defeat, he wrote an incredibly powerful book that all progressives should read. The book; "Against the Tide - How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President" is one book that you just can't put down. I must admit though; my 87 year old mother was so upset when I gave it to her to read, she stopped half way through and returned it. She said she was losing sleep over it. There's no meanness in the book; there is only statement of fact and discussion of experiences that make you seriously question the leadership of the entire Bush administration.

Good luck Linc while you make your decision. You have my vote.

tomtoak