'Freedom fries' lawmaker's U-turn

A pro-Iraq war US congressman who campaigned for French fries to be renamed "freedom fries" is now calling for US troops to return home from Iraq.
Republican Representative Walter Jones is to introduce legislation demanding a timetable for the withdrawal.

The renaming of fries in Capitol Hill's cafeterias in March 2003 expressed disapproval among some US lawmakers with France's opposition to the war.

French toast was also re-branded "freedom toast".

"I voted for the resolution to commit the troops, and I feel that we've done about as much as we can do," Mr Jones said on US network ABC.

I just feel that the reason of going in for weapons of mass destruction, the ability of the Iraqis to make a nuclear weapon, that's all been proven that it was never there

Representative Walter Jones

"I just feel that the reason of going in for weapons of mass destruction, the ability of the Iraqis to make a nuclear weapon, that's all been proven that it was never there."

He said his change of heart about the war came after he attended the funeral of a US sergeant killed in Nasiriya, Iraq, in April 2003. Mr Jones said he was moved by the soldier's widow who read out her husband's last letter

Never? I thought so.

The Honorable Walter Jones
422 Cannon Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3303

Dear Mr. Jones,

I think you may be as disturbed as I am at the possibility that intelligence was doctored to justify the invasion of Iraq. Of course there were indications of this as far back as the reports from Hans Blix, Scott Ritter, and Joe Wilson.

The new British memo that indicates that intelligence was “fixed,” however, is most disturbing. I believe that there is now enough evidence to start an investigation and I encourage you to call for the appointment of a special prosecutor.

We cannot bring back the 1647 who have lost their lives to date, or make whole the thousands horribly wounded. The only way we can face them or their memories with honor is to stop this carnage as soon as possible, and bring to light any criminality behind it. To do nothing is to be complicitous.

I pray for strength for you.

Sincerely,

Rep. Walter Jones is the same guy who introduced legislation that would make it OK for churches to work for partisan political campaigns and still retain their tax-exempt status. He's the bonehead who made our Congress an international laughing stock with Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast. Now suddenly he's got religion.

So he found his conscience in April 2003. Funny. He could have come out with this stuff before the last election, yet I don't recall him revealing anything of the sort prior to November '04.

Bush is looking very bad and Jones is probably starting to feel vulnerable. There's blood in the water and the fair-weather Bush supporters are moving out of harm's way.

Something is definitley up...but what??

I think French Toast tastes better.

and you got something! I like short stacks, too! :wink:

'Freedom fries' lawmaker's U-turn



http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4086380.stm

We need more of this to bring the troops home, ASAP.

Remains the sort of thing it is difficult to decribe adequately without reference to excrement. There is a class of decisions which, if one makes them, one cannot rightly repent of them afterwards, for the consequences cannot be undone, and will have involved great injury to others: going to war is of that class. All this means is that this fellow scents a wind shifted to a different direction than it held in days past, and worries for his place at the trough. It is in its way, therefore, an excellent harbinger for the '06 Congressional election....