Franken and anti-war groups keep pressure on Coleman.
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U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken says he will run a full page ad in Friday's Star Tribune criticizing GOP Sen. Norm Coleman for not voting to remove U.S. troops from Iraq. Franken said it may be a bit early to run the ads but he wants to keep pressure on Coleman on the issue. Here's my full interview with Franken on his decision to run the ad, his plan and his thoughts on Coleman's efforts on the Fairness Doctrine.
Franken isn't the only one criticizing Coleman. An anti-war group held a news conference outside of Coleman's St. Paul home (Coleman is in DC right now) to announce that Coleman's neighbors have agreed to put anti-war signs in their yard. This isn't a surprise since most of Coleman's neighbors also had Wellstone signs in their yard in 2002. I know because I had to cover Coleman's announcement on the day of Paul Wellstone's plane crash.
Coleman's campaign manager didn't return a call on these two items.
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(see statement below). Coleman said last week that he does not support a troop withdrawal. You can see MPR's story on Coleman's decision here. Here was his conference call with reporters (Real Audio).
Coleman's campaign manager Cullen Sheehan released this statement on Franken's ad:
"It's no surprise that Al Franken's plan for Iraq comes in a full page, partisan fundraising attack ad in the newspaper to raise money for his campaign. There are clear differences between Senator Coleman and Al Franken. Senator Coleman supports a changed mission in Iraq that ensures our soldiers are not in the middle of age-old battles between different Iraqi factions. In addition, he believes allowing Al Qaeda to create a terrorist state, as the Taliban did in Afghanistan, is unacceptable. Furthermore, we simply cannot let Iran continue to support terrorist elements that are destabilizing the region.
Senator Coleman supports, and believes there should be, a significant drawdown of U.S. troops in 2008. This drawdown will not end our responsibilities to Iraq or the region. American commitment to Kosovo, Korea and Germany was a commitment to regional stability and global peace. Our commitment to a presence in Iraq cannot be viewed any differently. When Al Franken chooses to ignore the recommendations of our Generals who make it clear that a precipitous withdrawal of American troops will further destabilize the region and cause more pain and suffering, he chooses to engage in partisan politics. A cynical full page fundraising ad in the newspaper, on the heels of calling for cutting off funds for our troops in Iraq, is not a substitute for a thoughtful and necessary discussion about our changed mission in Iraq."