"WA-08: Sending Our Message on Iraq"

mcjoan on Kos:

So Bush is coming to Washington state Monday, for a VIP reception costing $10,000 and a general reception costing $1,000, money that will go into the campaign coffers of his good buddy and stalwart Iraq occupation supporter, GOP Rep. Dave Reichert.

Maybe Bush can come a little early and stop by the Iraq Town Hall forum Darcy Burner has organized, which will also be streamed online. He'd hear a thing or two about Iraq and what the people of Washington's 8th congressional district think about it--things he's never going to hear from Dave Reichert.

I'm honored to be moderating this forum and to announce the impressive list of panelists who will participate:

Jon Soltz -- the co-founder and chairman of VoteVets.org, Jon is a veteran of the Iraq War, where he served as a captain with the 1st Armored Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. His considered one of the country's most authoritative voices on veterans and military issues and is a regular contributor to the MSNBC program "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann. He also blogs on military and veterans issues at the Huffington Post.

Navy Capt. Larry Seaquist (ret.) -- a former US naval officer, Captain Seaquist commanded a number of warships including the battleship USS IOWA during his distinguished 32-year career. He also served as a senior security strategist in the Pentagon including an appointment as the Director of Policy Research in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. During the period leading up to the Gulf War he was Acting Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning. He currently serves in the Washington State legislature and writes regularly for major newspapers and defense journals.

Lorin Walker -- serves as vice-president of VetPac, a political action committee dedicated to electing candidates who preserve the values for which veterans have served, fought and died. She is the daughter of Captain Bruce C. Walker USAF, MIA 1972. A resident of Washington State, she is active in veterans affairs and Democratic politics and works at Microsoft.

Professor Clark Lombardi -- teaches comparative law at the University of Washington and is an expert on Islamic legal systems. He recently returned from a trip to Iraq, and speaks knowledgably about the difficulties the United States faces in Iraq in creating effective civil institutions that are critical to the functioning of a stable and effective democracy.

Major General Paul D. Eaton (ret.), who went ot Iraq in 2003 to lead the effort to recreate the Iraqi military from scratch and who since his retirement has stepped forward to speak plainly about the Bush administration's incompetence in conducting the Iraq War and callousness in treating its active duty forces and veterans, is unable to attend in person but has submitted a video statement for the "Send a Message" virtual town hall. The same is true of Ambassador Joe Wilson, a netroots hero who was one of the first voices to speak out in exposing the administration's efforts to falsely hype the Iraqi regime's efforts to acquire nuclear materials in the run-up to the war.

The forum will be streamed live at Darcy Burner's site at 3:00 pm PT, 6:00 pm ET Monday. You can submit your questions for the panel. Actual space at the event is limited, but if you're local and are interested in attending in person, contact the campaign for details. And while you're at it, kick in a few bucks.

Back up your message to Bush on Iraq by making it hurt where it matters most to Republicans--the money. We have a goal today of 2,000 contributions. As of 12:30 PT, we're at 1,683.

Race tracker wiki: WA-08