I just got back from a Veterans Roundtable discussion at Sestak (PA-07) headquarters. (I was invited, I think, as a blogger.) There were about 20 veterans there as well as press--the Philadelphia ABC affiliate had a cameraman there.

After I got home from the wonderful two events that Wes attended for Joe last Friday, I picked up my mail and there were brochures from the Weldon campaign . The brochures had ugly, mean-looking photos of Joe and red headlines:

SESTAK WAS FIRED

and then there were all sorts of quotes from the Navy Times announcing that Sestak worked his staff too hard and created bad morale.

Yes, Sestak was fired by a new Chief of Naval Operations. That Chief wanted his guys in top positions and they forced Joe out. But that's all really irrelevent. What does any of this have to do with running for Congress? Let's take a look at some facts:

• Curt Weldon voted against expanding TRICARE medical benefits to National Guard and Reserve volunteers.
• Curt Weldon voted against an amendment that would have provided $8 million for combat-related trauma care and $9 million for medical and prosthetic research.
• Curt Weldon voted against an amendment providing $23 million of assistance for the spouses of those killed fighting the War on Terror with children to care for.
• Curt Weldon voted against exempting National Guard and Reservists from legislation--passed while they were away serving their country--that makes it more difficult to obtain protection from debts incurred as a result of their being called up to active duty.
• Curt Weldon voted against full retirement and disability for all veterans.
• Curt Weldon vote to cut veterans benefits, including Disability Benefit payments to former soldiers and reductions in money for the GI Bill Benefits and Health Care, by $15 Billion to make room for tax cuts for the wealthy.

Joe Sestak's last job in the Navy was to change the Navy to adapt to the war on terrorism. C-H-A-N-G-E. It ruffles feathers. Yes, it upset some people. And, yes, in the end, it ended Joe's Naval career. Joe did what he felt was right. He made changes to a Cold War Navy to adapt to a new reality. And he was forced out for it. At the same time, Curt Weldon was voting to send our troops into an unnecessary war without a plan for peace AND cutting their funding.

Joe Sestak will NOT let Curt Weldon, who has voted time and time and time again in Congress to SCREW the troops and vets get away with disparaging his 31 years of Naval service. Whenever Curt attacks Joe's military service, Joe's going to point out how Curt Weldon has attacked our troops.