We had a great chat with Iraq war veteran and hopeful Democratic candidate for Maryland's 6th Ward Andrew Duck . He had some very interesting things to say about efforts to reconstruct the country (he was formerly in military intelligence) and what he views as the political frustrations the military encountered there.

This interview will be available for 7 days online. Listen Here The BBC also has a link to blogspot.com which has a interview blog from a 20 year old Iraqi student and his opinion on the US occupation.

The Baltimore Sun read Nov 30, 2005:

...When President Bush speaks tomorrow at the Naval Academy, he will be offering his views about the Iraq war in a state where the debate among politicians isn't over the wisdom of his policies but instead over who opposes them the most.

Also

The only thing you're getting out of the Bush administration is, 'Stay the course, stay the course until we achieve victory,'" said Andrew Duck, a retired Army intelligence officer who served in Iraq and is running for Congress in the 6th District.

11.10.05 How will this generation of veterans change the country? With Andrew Duck (House candidate in Maryland's 6th District), Abdul Henderson (Iraq Veterans against the War), and Perry Jefferies (Operation Truth).

Listen to the interview online

Dayton Daily News

In Maryland, Democrat Andrew Duck, a former intelligence liaison in Iraq, is
challenging incumbent Roscoe Bartlett...

Andrew Duck For Congress Committee

Stong and Determined Leadership on Energy

Two weeks ago today, at an Energy Conference held at Frederick Community College, Roscoe Bartlett said that we need strong and determined leadership on energy policy. Friday afternoon, Congressman Bartlett demonstrated that he was incapable of providing that leadership.

In a vote on House Resolution 3893, Roscoe Bartlett voted to provide oil companies with millions of dollars of government handouts, despite the fact that they are currently reaping record profits. This bill will not effectively reduce gas prices. This bill will not prevent price gouging. And this bill does nothing to address the price of natural gas, which is expected to soar as home heating increases this winter. It will give oil companies millions of taxpayer dollars when we are paying $3.00 a gallon at the pump and oil company profits are soaring. This bill was a bad bill.

Andrew Duck For Congress Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2005

IRAQ WAR VETERAN FILES FOR CONGRESSIONAL RACE

Iraq War veteran Andrew Duck has formally filed to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 6th Congressional District. Mr. Duck formally filed in Annapolis on Thursday, August 11.

Mr. Duck served in the U.S. Army for more than 20 years, to include deploying in support of operations in Bosnia three times and deploying to Iraq. Mr. Duck served as an Intelligence Liaison Officer to 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (1MEF) during the invasion of Iraq while on Active Duty as a Captain in the U.S. Army. Mr. Duck retired from the Army in 2004 and currently works in the Pentagon as a contract employee with Northrop Grumman.

Andrew Duck For Congress Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 2005

Last week, President Bush signed into law the Central America Free Trade Agreement. Roscoe Bartlett had repeatedly objected to CAFTA's provisions that erode American sovereignty. But after months of stating that he opposed CAFTA, Roscoe Bartlett voted for the bill, which passed the House by only two votes. The provisions that reduced American sovereignty remained in the bill. The voters of the Sixth District are owed an explanation for Mr. Bartlett's changed position on this issue.

CAFTA is a bad deal. It is a bad deal for workers in America, and will result in more American jobs being shipped overseas. It is a bad deal for Central America, as industries that pollute the environment will now have unrestricted access to American markets, while they do not have to provide any control over their hazardous wastes. And it is a bad deal for Maryland, because our laws will now be subject to review by foreign judges.

Yes, hidden in CAFTA is a provision for an international panel of judges to review and over-rule laws passed by the State of Maryland. Roscoe Bartlett knew about this provision, and said it was wrong. Twenty-eight states successfully opted out of those provisions, but when the State of Maryland passed a state law to opt out, the U.S. Trade Representative refused to add Maryland to the list of states exempted. And when the chips were down, Mr. Bartlett voted for a bill that violates our sovereignty.

Mr. Bartlett's website attempts to explain this vote saying "the benefits from CAFTA outweigh sovereignty concerns that I expressed." He then goes on to state that the trade between the U.S. and CAFTA nations is over $33 Billion. This is a curious statement from a man who proudly carries the Constitution in his pocket and has pledged to defend the Constitution.

My question for Mr. Bartlett is, "How many dollars is our sovereignty worth?"

ANDREW DUCK

Andrew Duck For Congress Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Memorial Day, 2005

It is disappointing to see that Congressman Roscoe Bartlett has voted against increasing the funding for medical care for veterans injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. In voting against House Amendment 216 to the 2006 Military Quality of Life and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, Mr. Bartlett has shown that he is willing to disregard the needs of veterans who have been wounded in combat.

At a time when over 13,000 brave Americans have been wounded in action in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Bartlett refuses to provide the additional $8 million for treating combat trauma. While we have a dramatic increase in the number of soldiers and marines who are returning home as amputees, Mr. Bartlett is unwilling to provide the requested increase of $9 million for research into prosthetics. While we rely on National Guard and Reserve forces to provide the personnel to fight our wars, Mr. Bartlett is unwilling to provide the additional $6 million to remotely serve those veterans using telemedicine, requiring them to make lengthy trips to obtain needed medical care.

Andrew Duck For Congress Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2005

Andrew Duck will be charging across Maryland's Sixth District to officially declare that he is a candidate for the United States House of Representatives in the 2006 election.

Andrew Duck, a resident of Frederick County, will begin his announcement tour in Frederick on May 25. All are invited to meet him at 10:00 a.m. in Veterans' Park located at the corner of N. Bentz and W. 2nd Street. This site was chosen because Mr. Duck is a U.S. Army veteran with recent duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom, as well as multiple deployments to Bosnia. His training, leadership experience, and knowledge of military and government operations will be important assets to him in Congress at a time when our nation is at war.