Shays makes timely policy shift on war



After being one of Congress' most ardent supporters of the war, Shays this fall announced that U.S. policies weren't working and called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. He complained that the Pentagon wasn't giving his congressional subcommittee timely information about the war and suggested a timeline for troop withdrawals, a strategy he had previously resisted. Farrell said Shays' shift was to appease voters and noted that she had made many of the same suggestions for months.

Shays makes timely policy shift on war

Shays makes timely policy shift on war

By John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer | November 8, 2006

Caption: Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., kisses his wife Betsi after he declared victory in Norwalk, Conn., Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2006. Diane Farrell challenged Shays for the Fairfield county seat he has held for 19 years. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)

HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays developed a national reputation in 19 years in Congress for championing campaign finance reform and other issues that were at odds with his party at times.

But it was his outspoken support of the Iraq war that defined what may have been the most difficult campaigns against outspoken anti-war candidate Diane Farrell.

Shays defeated Farrell Tuesday night, winning a 11th term in the House, representing southwestern Connecticut. It was his second campaign against Farrell, whom he narrowly defeated in 2004. It was another close one this year, as well as he garnered about 51 percent of the vote to Farrell's 48.

The race had a high national profile because of Shays' longtime support of the war. Shays was the first member of Congress to visit Iraq after U.S. troops invaded in 2003 and has returned 13 times, tops among those in Congress.

But after being one of Congress' most ardent supporters of the war, Shays this fall announced that U.S. policies weren't working and called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. He complained that the Pentagon wasn't giving his congressional subcommittee timely information about the war and suggested a timeline for troop withdrawals, a strategy he had previously resisted. Farrell said Shays' shift was to appease voters and noted that she had made many of the same suggestions for months.

Shays raised eyebrows on the campaign trail by noting that Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman's re-election effort was more important than his own. And he lashed out at Sen. Edward Kennedy's criticism of House Republican leaders handling of a burgeoning congressional page scandal, saying nothing that happened was as bad as Kennedy's infamous 1969 Chappaquiddick car accident that killed a young woman.

In 2003, Shays urged revelers not to attend New Year's Eve celebrations like the one at Times Square because of terrorism concerns. That remark prompted New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to suggest that Shays could use an infusion of courage.

Shays became a national figure during his seven-year battle to enact campaign finance reform. The effort led to a law in 2002 which banned large, unlimited donations from corporations, labor unions and wealthy individuals known as "soft money" for federal elections.

As chairman of a subcommittee, Shays held 20 hearings on terrorism before the Sept. 11 attacks. After the attacks, he helped create the Department of Homeland Security.

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: November, 2006; RPCV Chris Shays (Fiji); COS - Fiji; Politics; Congress; Connecticut

When this story was posted in November 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




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