Arcuri Campaign Says Arcuri Still Supports Military Commissions Act
Rumors are flying fast and fierce around our congressional district today. Unofficial word has it that Democratic candidate Michael Arcuri has received so many protests from progressive Democrats about Arcuri’s support for George W. Bush’s Military Commissions Act that Arcuri has decided to change course and oppose the Military Commissions Act after all.
The trouble is that these are, so far, unsubstantiated rumors. In fact, when I called the Michael Arcuri campaign this morning, the campaign denied that any change in Arcuri’s support for the Military Commissions Act had been made.
The Military Commissions Act is a foul law that allows George W. Bush to maintain his system of secret torture prisons, gives Bush amnesty for war crimes, removes the legal standing of the Geneva Conventions, and gives the President the power to imprison people without trial. Habeas corpus, a legal right established hundreds of years before Europeans discovered the Americas, is taken away by this law.
At a public debate, confirmed in a newspaper article, acknowledged at a campaign appearance here in Trumansburg, and admitted to in a call I myself made to Arcuri campaign headquarters, Michael Arcuri gave his enthusiastic support to the Military Commissions Act.
Over the last month, Arcuri has refused to change his mind. Now, the day before Election Day, the Arcuri for Congress campaign is feeling the heat. It may be that Arcuri’s support for the Military Commissions Act costs him the election.
Rumors are not enough. Unsubstantiated accounts that Michael Arcuri has had a change of heart are encouraging, but at this point have are mere fantasies. I was told this morning that Mike Arcuri promised to declare on his campaign web site that he now opposes the Military Commissions Act.
Look on Arcuri’s web site yourself: There is no such statement there.
Michael Arcuri’s conduct throughout this campaign has provoked a lack of trust in Arcuri’s honesty among Democratic voters. Already, there is talk that, if Arcuri wins this year, he will be challenged in a primary contest by a more steadfast Democrat in 2008.
Whether that challenge ever takes place or not, it indicates that Michael Arcuri has done a poor job winning the support of his Democratic base. On this last day of the campaign, it would assure many Democrats here in the 24th district if Michael Arcuri would make a clear and public declaration that he opposes the Military Commissions Act.
I’m not holding my breath.
[...] The Arcuri for Congress web site has no statement indicating that Michael Arcuri regrets, much less reverses, his support for the Republicans on the Military Commissions Act. A phone call made to Arcuri’s campaign headquarters was met with a denial that Arcuri has changed his position at all. [...]
[...] Today, there were rumors that Mike Arcuri had, in fact, changed his position back to the Democratic mainstream, in opposition to the abuses of the Military Commissions Act. Alas, the rumors appear to be untrue. Hopes of progressive Democrats in Arcuri’s district were dashed when a telephone call to the Arcuri for Congress campaign this morning was given a clear answer: Michael Arcuri has not changed his position on the Military Commissions Act. He still supports it. [...]