"To the last, I grapple with thee; From Hell's heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee"

"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville (1851)
(and of course, borrowed for "Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn" (1982))

So I figure it doesn’t matter if you would rather cite Melville or Star Trek--either way I’ve caught your attention and summed up Hillary Clinton’s campaign at the same time!

As I watch Hillary Clinton implicitly endorse John McCain over Barack Obama, I can’t help but think of the warfare of Khan--Genghis or Noonien Singh I leave to you--and the obsession of Captain Ahab. Am I the only one who sees in her single minded need for the Presidency, and the lengths she will go to fill that aching void, the same scorched earth "if I can’t have it I’ll destroy it" approach to the battle, and that same "damn the Pequod and it’s crew" approach to the hunt?

Oh the things we will do when we take back the House!
We'll be strong--like a lion!
Not meek--like a mouse!

We will fight for ALL people
not only the wealthy.
We'll work to make sure
ALL people are healthy!

We'll work for security
but also for peace.
Give ALL kids a chance
including my niece!

We'll care for our veterans
who kept us all free.
We'll fight for our rights
and feed Freedom's tree.

We'll boost the economy
and find people jobs.
We'll fight for clean air
and not just for snobs.

We'll make sure our teachers
get pay and respect
and that nurses and firemen
aren't left in the dreck.

We'll work to make sure
all religions are equal,
and our next six great years
aren't just a Bush sequel.

As most of you already know, I am Bill Winter and I am running for Congress in CO-06 against Tom Tancredo. You can learn more here:

http://winterforcongress.com/

I recently read an article talking about how the House passed a $448 Billion Military Spending Bill. You can read the article here:

http://www.foxnews.com/...

(yeah, I know--Fox News--but whaddya gonna do?)

Notice the 1.9 Billion dollar line item for "for new jammers to counter improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan."

I also recently received a letter from a small Colorado-based defense contractor, EOJT, which has developed innovative products that could save American lives in Iraq. Their number one product is exactly the kind of jammer described above. In other words, the U.S. House of Representatives just authorized 1.9 BILLION dollars for development of jammers to protect our troops...

...and we have a guy who already has one ready to go right here in Colorado!

So what's the problem?  

I'm glad you asked!

If ever there were a case study for why the Democratic model for choosing which races get support DOESN'T WORK, my race is it! I'm sure I don't have to update anyone here on what I mean about our Party's strategy for taking back the House, so let me just tell you why I'm winning against Tom Tancredo, and you decide if the absolute absence of support for my race makes any sense.

Four weeks ago, Tom Tancredo had a full slate of appearances outside Colorado. He was going on a book signing tour. He was going to the early Presidential primary states to push his agenda. He was even going around the Country campaigning against incumbent Republican Congressmen.

All that stopped abruptly three weeks ago. Why, you ask?

Well here's the facts. You decide.

Yesterday morning I had the honor of having Senator Max Cleland speak on behalf of my campaign against Tom Tancredo. I want to share with you what I had to say after he spoke:

It's a real honor to be introduced today by somebody like Senator Max Cleland, who has given so much to his Country over and over and over again. And to me Senator Cleland stands out as an example of both what is good--and in some senses, what is wrong--about our Country right now.  

Senator Cleland has given so much in service to his Country, and yet when he tried to serve his home state of Georgia, what did they come out and do? They accused him of not being patriotic. And I think that speaks to what is wrong with America today. We have more people trying to divide us than trying to unite us, and we need to get back to where we're trying to be united as a Nation again.

Buenos días. Mi nombre es Bill Winter y estoy postulado para el Congreso en contra de Tom Tancredo en el Sexto Distrito Congresional de Colorado.

(Good morning. My name is Bill Winter and I'm running for Congress against Tom Tancredo in Congressional District 6.)

Soy originario de Colorado y un veterano del Navy y del Marine Corps. Yo soy un abogado, yo soy un maestro, y yo soy un entrenador de fútbol Americano de la preparatoria, y yo soy un donador de riñón.

(I'm a Colorado Native and a veteran of the Navy and the Marine Corps. I'm a lawyer, a teacher, a high school football coach, and a kidney donor.)

¡Pero antes que nada y sobre todas estas cosas lo más importante es que SOY AMERICANO y estoy orgulloso de ello así como estoy seguro que ustedes también lo están!

(But before all those other things, and more importantly than all those other things, I AM AN AMERICAN AND PROUD OF IT AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO!)

I was asked by a person after a recent campaign event, if I were at a gathering which included some low key "Rockefeller" type Republicans, what two main points would I make to convince them to vote for me this Fall?

It got me thinking, and when I get to thinking, I often wind up here, so here I go again.

This morning I spoke at the Parker Breakfast Club, an organization that meets in my District every Monday and that is described as very Republican and very conservative. The response I received to what I had to say was overwhelmingly positive. I definitely won converts throughout the room.

I thought I would share with you what I said to them.

Much has been said, and even more written, in recent weeks regarding Ned Lamont's victory over Joe "I'm Bigger Than Democracy" Lieberman in the Connecticut primaries. Even as we watch this drama unfold we also see the Iraq War increasingly going down the drain and the Bush Administration getting increasingly desperate for ways to spin the disaster.

Yesterday brought the news that the "Marine Corps will soon begin ordering thousand of its troops back to active duty because of a shortage of volunteers for Iraq and Afghanistan--the first involuntary recall since the early days of the war.

As many as 2,500 Marines will be brought back at a time, and there is no cap on the total number who may be forced back into service..."

Last night, as promised, Governor Mark Warner from Virginia came to Colorado to help support my campaign, and I want you all to know that the results exceeded my wildest imagination in every way. We had a huge, enthusiastic crowd. We had all of our Colorado Congressional Candidates. We had our Senate Majority Leader. We had Congresswoman Diana Degette. We raised a lot of money. We got great media. And most of all we fired up a lot of Democrats to go out and fight for change in the next 84 days!

So here's the really important part:

THANK YOU!

...who won't stand up proudly for the things you believe in.

...who believe that "moving to the center" is the way to win votes.

...who think being more like "them" is the way to win back America.

...who won't walk a picket line with you.

...who won't call for an immediate plan to end the war in Iraq.

I get asked about a lot of issues on the campaign trail, but one that comes up over and over is health care, and how we can fix a health care system that is in crisis. So let's jump right in and talk about what we need.

We need a comprehensive plan that provides full medical coverage for every man, woman and child in America! Right now we have over 100 million Americans who are underinsured for health coverage, 44 million Americans who do not have health care coverage at any given time, and at least 20 million who do not have it permanently. I'm one of the them. I don't have any health care coverage.

It is almost a mantra in America today to hear people say they support the troops. We hear it on television and radio. We see it on bumper stickers. It's almost the de facto disclaimer of any politician anymore. But it raises the question: What does it mean to support the troops?

Here's what I think it means.

To begin with, we should never ask our troops to put their lives on the line unless it is for one of two reasons: to defend against a direct attack against the United States, or to make us more secure in some easily definable way. The Iraq war fails both tests. We did not attack the country that attacked us, and we are LESS secure as a result of this war.

When I first got into the race for Colorado's 6th Congressional District against Tom Tancredo, I did an online interview for ePluribus Media that covered a lot of ground. I wanted to revisit that interview now when more people are paying attention, because I think there are some important truths here.

I am posting that interview one question at a time with only minor revisions where needed to reflect the passage of eight months. I look forward to your feedback and will try to respond to your comments as much as possible. Here's number three:

When I first got into the race for Colorado's 6th Congressional District against Tom Tancredo, I did an online interview for ePluribus Media that covered a lot of ground. As many of you have come to expect, I was open and honest with my answers, and it gave some on my campaign staff fits.

But my campaign was significantly under the radar when I answered those questions, and I wanted to revisit them now when more people are paying attention, because I think there are some important truths here.

So I am going to post that interview one question at a time with only minor revisions where needed to reflect the passage of eight months. I look forward to your feedback and will try to respond to your comments as much as possible. So here comes number two:

When I first got into the race for Colorado's 6th Congressional District against Tom Tancredo, I did an online interview for ePluribus Media that covered a lot of ground. As many of you have come to expect, I was open and honest with my answers, and it gave some on my campaign staff fits.

But my campaign was significantly under the radar when I answered those questions, and I wanted to revisit them now when more people are paying attention, because I think there are some important truths here.

So I am going to post that interview one question at a time with only minor revisions where needed to reflect the passage of eight months. I look forward to your feedback and will try to respond to your comments as much as possible. So here comes number one:

I was just reading a post by RevRandy in which he said he was "waiting for the Democratic Party to stop playing politics and again be a voice of values and vision." I decided I had to post my response to the general audience, and here it is.

We ARE out here talking about a REAL Democratic message, Randy. Lots of us. But the "leadership" of the Democratic Party continues to throw us under the bus in favor of candidates who "can win" according to the calculus and logic of the folks in Washington.

My name is Bill Winter and I'm running for Congress against Tom Tancredo in Colorado's Congressional District 6.

As a candidate, I'm often told to be careful about what I say so that it is not used against me by my opponents. To that advice I say this--caution is not something I learned in the Marine Corps and the Navy. The Marines are not cautious. The Marines charge in where even angels fear to tread and that is something I will never change about myself.