An alternative in the 22nd District

For many years the 22nd Congressional District of Florida was served by Republican Clay Shaw, but in 2006, Shaw was beaten by Democrat Ron Klein. The district extends from Palm Beach Gardens south to northern Broward County -just north of Ft. Lauderdale.

Klein’s website posts news releases that are the usual blather you’d expect from a politician. However, in his State of the District address given in January, he bragged about his duties in Washington – in particular, he says:

I was also assigned a seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, where I was granted a position as the Vice Chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee and a seat on the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee. The positions allow me to participate in the rethinking of our foreign policy in Iraq, Iran, and in our own hemisphere, Venezuela. It also provides me with an opportunity to work on the committee with my close friend, Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a fellow member of the South Florida delegation.

Now Klein has an opponent who should be in even more of a position to understand our foreign policy in Iraq – Allen West. West is a Lt. Colonel retired from the United States Army. He served 22-years, including a stint in Iraq and a stint in Afghanistan as an adviser following his retirement.

In his Army career, Col. West has been honored many times, including a Bronze Star, three Meritorious Service Medals, three Army Commendation Medals (one with Valor), and a Valorous Unit Award. He received his valor award as a Captain in Desert Shield/Storm, was the US Army ROTC instructor of the year in 1993, and was a Distinguished Honor Graduate III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas Air Assault School.

Col. West’s wife Angela holds a Ph. D. and works as a financial planner in Broward County. They have two daughters.

Here’s the first paragraph of his post on issues – and it’s something that reflects my thoughts:

We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil as a matter of national security. Over the last 50 years, we have supported governments solely because they have protected our oil interests. As a result, the money we have spent on imported oil goes largely to fund enemy activities by hostile states and the groups they sponsor. We need to take serious steps toward energy independence to end the financing of terrorist activities around the world. The sooner we no longer rely on the Middle East for energy, the sooner we can put forward a foreign policy that honestly deals with the region. To do this, we must exploit all of our own natural resources, using all available technologies to protect our environment and develop a self-sustaining energy policy.

I don’t live in the 22nd District, but those of you who do and are concerned about the direction of the country may give him consideration.