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Making a Difference: Father of Slain Soldier Runs for Congress to Oust Anti-War Iraq Vet
Wow: Maybe Tom Manion’s not running in your district–send him some money anyway:
Father of fallen Marine enters 8th District race
By BRIAN SCHEID
Bucks County Courier TimesCalling his son’s death in Iraq a “wakeup call,” Tom Manion, 53, of Doylestown Township officially announced Tuesday that he is running for Congress as a Republican.
Manion’s son, Marine 1st Lt. Travis Manion, 26, was killed by sniper fire in April during his second tour of duty in Iraq.
“Travis believed in something bigger than himself and he had a life’s passion for making a difference in this world,” Manion said to reporters and friends who crammed into his kitchen Tuesday afternoon for his long-awaited announcement. “Well, Travis has given me a wakeup call that my service to this country is not over.
“In the words of my son Travis: “We can, we must and we will make a difference in this country,’ ” he said.
Manion, a vice president of information technology with Johnson & Johnson, ended his 30-year military career last month when he retired as a colonel in the Marine Reserves.
If Manion does eventually face Congressman Patrick Murphy, D-8, later this year, the race could hinge on the war in Iraq. Murphy, who has called for a timeline for troop withdrawal from Iraq, is the first and only Iraq war veteran in Congress.
With his wife, Janet, and his daughter, Ryan, at his side, Manion said he wants to see the war end soon but said he supported President Bush’s current war policy.
“I do want to end the war in Iraq as soon as possible,” Manion said. “No one is more committed to that goal than I because I want no other parent to go through what Janet and I have. But in doing this we must confront the threats that face our nation both for this and for future generations.”
Later he said that “it’s pretty evident that the surge is working and we need to see that through.”
In a brief interview with reporters, Manion touched on some of his political views. He said he wanted to work against partisan bickering and end wasteful government spending. He said he wants lower taxes and to make affordable health care available to everyone. He said he was pro-life but a supporter of stem cell research and said this country needs to “close the border” when it comes to illegal immigration.