McHenry County Blog

Randi Scheurer, one of Melissa Bean's Democratic Party primary opponents mocks the incumbent for her recent trip to Iraq for being a "Green Zone tourist."

Scheurer characterizes the trip as "timid boosterism for the war."

"She might as well have stayed home and watched Fox News to save the taxpayers some money," Scheurer says in the press release you can read below.

And you must take a look at the picture accompanying this Baltimore Sun blog entry in "The Swamp." It reminds me of the Michael Dukakis photo in a tank. The photo was actually released by Congresswoman Melissa Bean's office, according to its cut line.

Bean A “Green Zone” Tourist Again

Incumbent Melissa Bean (IL-8TH) claims she noticed a decrease in violence during her recent visit to the heavily fortified “Green Zone” in Baghdad last weekend. There, she and the rest of the Congressional delegation met with General Petraeus and other top military officials.

“She (Bean) might as well have stayed home and watched Fox News to save the taxpayers some money,” says Randi Scheurer, Bean’s challenger in the Democratic Party primary. “She would have heard the same thing. This is all a sad, sickening political sideshow.”

Bean continues her wishy-washy dodging of her true “position,” or lack thereof. Her statements have always been limited to “I support the troops” and “there is room for improvement,” while her votes line up squarely behind the Bush administration in continuing the war.

“She [Bean] keeps talking, while people keep dying and we are bleeding our treasury dry,” says Scheurer. “Her votes tell the real story. She does not have the good judgment or integrity to stand up against this unwise, illegal, and unjust war.”

Rep. Bean made much of the fact that her military handlers let the traveling party get “out and about … without the flak jacket and helmet on,” as quoted in a Daily Herald article. Bean added, “it was definitely a more relaxed attitude toward security" than on her last trip two years ago.

“This sounds an awful lot like timid boosterism for the war,” says Scheurer. “If she had any sense, she would realize that the pentagon spin machine has just gotten better at their job. They learned from their mistakes with Senator McCain and others.”

“Let her walk around outside the ‘Green Zone’ for a day or two,” says Scheurer. “Then come back and tell us if it’s a lot like a ‘typical summer day’ in the Lake County forest preserve.”

Labels: 8th Congressional District, Melissa Bean, Randi Scheurer