Drake's bid for Angelina Jolie's Iraq input draws foe's fire

Mother- actress- humanitarian- goodwill- ambassador Angelina Jolie got a new title on Saturday: campaign issue.

Glenn Nye, a Democrat hoping to challenge U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd District, in the November election, went on the attack over Drake’s suggestion Friday that Jolie be invited to address members of Congress on the situation in Iraq.

“Where are Thelma Drake’s priorities?” Nye said in a statement released by his campaign. “It’s time for serious people to do serious work to bring a sensible and responsible end to the war in Iraq.”

Drake on Friday urged that Jolie, who recently returned from a trip to Iraq on behalf of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, be invited to a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the plight of displaced Iraqis.

Travis Burk, a spokesman for Drake, suggested Saturday that Nye is engaged in “hyper-partisanship” and said the congresswoman is interested in hearing from Jolie “in her role as a goodwill ambassador.”

“Her perspective is every bit as valid as Glenn Nye’s,” Burk added.

Drake is in her second House term representing portions of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Nye, a former foreign service officer, is a political newcomer. He has indicated that opposition to the war will be a focal point in his campaign.

source:http://hamptonroads.com/

The Angelina Jolie Iraq Plan: What Now Hollywood Democrats?

Angelina Jolie has weighed in on US Policy in Iraq and she believes that the presence of US Troops in the county is a good match for humanitarian and security reasons. Actor and Jolie pal George Clooney once told Barack Obama that he liked him and wanted him to be the next president but would not campaign of him because so many people see Hollywood celebrities as political poison.

That much is certainly true but it appears that Angelina Jolie is set out to change all of that as she desperately tries to focus attention on humanitarian efforts to assist the displaced and desperate Iraqi refugees. Jolie wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post ("A Reason to Stay in Iraq,") that was quite eloquent and she warned against squandering the good works there by a premature pull out of American forces. Jolie was criticized for her trip to Iraq earlier because she is pregnant and some believed that she was putting her unborn child in danger but it appears that she believes in her cause enough to do the leg work.

She made the trip and even spoke with Gen. David Petraeus, the American military commander in Iraq, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. She would later do an interview with CNN as well to try and draw even more attention to the crisis.

All good things, but she really put herself out there when she decided to promote the troop surge, a pivotal part of the US presidential elections and a still raging debate among the US Congress. Jolie wrote, "I can only state what I witnessed. When I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq," she wrote. "They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible."

Wow - not your typical Hollywood response. Even conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh praised the actress and now her editorial has sparked even more debate on who she supports for president and why she would ever support more troops and go so far against the grain of Hollywood.

source:http://www.nationalledger.com/

What now Hollywood democrats?