Dear Senator Dayton...

The Ranger is from Le Sueur, Minnesota and as such reacted strongly to hearing Brit Hume report this week that Senator Dayton (D-MN) did not choose to come to Iraqi PM Allawi's speech to the joint session of Congress. In my last post I said that I think Sen. Dayton should apologize. Well, being from Minnesota, the Ranger took a little more action and sent him a letter:

Senator Dayton,
As one of my representatives in the U.S. Senate, I am extremely disappointed that you chose not to attend Prime Minister Allawi’s address to Congress on September 23, 2004. Your lack of attendance and subsequent comment describing the address as a “staged production” is disrespectful and reflects badly on the United States of America and Minnesota. I would have thought that you would understand this given your party’s preoccupation with how America is viewed by other nations and whether or not the rest of the world likes us.

You also said, “[Allawi] ought to be over there [in Iraq] running his country.” Should the president ever leave the United States to visit a leader or government body in another nation? Do you spend any of your time on the job in locations other than Washington D.C. or Minnesota? If you answer no to those questions you are consistent, but obviously wrong. The leaders of nations often travel to foreign countries in order to properly fulfill their responsibility to govern.

Since you refused to be informed, any comments that you now make on the situation in Iraq lack credibility.

Simply put, it was your job to attend the address. By failing to do so (and not even watching it on TV as you claimed), you are failing to represent the people of Minnesota. The voters in your state will hold you accountable for your actions. If you continue to disregard your duties and deny the people of Minnesota proper representation, the voters will not re-elect you to the U.S. Senate in 2006.

Sincerely,
__________
Le Sueur, MN

I encourage other Minnesotans to do the same. Write him, call him up, remind him of the definition of the word "represent."