‘My Daddy’s Not Dead Yet’:

(9 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Congressman Pens Book About Iraq War Regrets

North Carolina Republican Walter Jones’ conscience is really bothering him!  Back in 2002, he enthusiastically voted for and supported Bush’s call to invade Iraq.  Not only that,  he also ridiculed France for not supporting the U.S. effort.  Remember “Freedom Fries?”  Jones and fellow Republican Bob Ney waged a successful campaign to have “French Fries” renamed “Freedom Fries” on all the House cafeteria menus.  But that all changed when he attended a funeral for a young sergeant killed in Iraq and listened to the fallen soldier’s last letter to his family which was read at the service.  Jones began to write his own letters to the families of those killed in Iraq and came to strongly regret his 2002 vote.

Now Jones is writing a book called “My Daddy’s Not Dead Yet” as he ponders yet another vote on another war, he will soon have to cast.  Jones talked to George C. Wilson who wrote a very moving article for Congressdaily.com called “Atonement.”  In his article Wilson explains how Jones chose the title for his book…>>>

The Congressional Daily

Atonement

Monday, Oct. 26, 2009

A conscience-stricken member of the House Armed Services Committee is writing a book called “My Daddy’s Not Dead Yet” in hopes it will atone for what he now considers his sinful vote to empower former President George W. Bush to invade Iraq in 2003.

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., whose district includes the sprawling Marine base of Camp Lejeune, told me the title was inspired by a little boy who feared his Marine father would be killed in Iraq.

The setting for Jones’ searing moment in 2007 was a classroom in the Johnson Elementary School at Camp Lejeune. He had been invited to read Dr. Seuss to the kids. Jones did that; then asked for questions.

“My daddy’s not dead yet,” said a little boy. “My daddy’s not dead yet,” the boy repeated. Jones said he reeled as if punched in the gut, a wave of guilt washing over him. The remark devastated him because he knew deep down that he had played go-along-politics with the life of the little boy’s father instead of “listening to God” and voting against the House resolution in 2002 that authorized Bush to go to war in Iraq. “I profess to be a man of faith,” Jones said, “but I didn’t vote my conscience.”..>>>