Incumbent Congressman John McHugh supports war, but not the troops. In an interview published July 26 in the Oneida Dispatch, McHugh stated that "you can't support the troops and not support the war." Well I am confused by this statement in light of my visit to his office in January 2007.

At that visit, my wife and I expressed our desire to have Mr. McHugh take action to bring our troops home. Mr. McHugh agreed with us. He told us that he had just returned from Iraq and was convinced that the war was a mistake and not winnable. My wife asked Mr. McHugh if she had heard him correctly, that he was against the war and that we needed to bring our troops home. Mr. McHugh stated that we heard correctly, that the conditions in Iraq were terrible and that he was sponsoring a bill to withhold part of the funds being requested in the supplemental bill until the president and the Iraqis met conditions regarding the conduct of the war. We were pleased to hear his comments regarding the war, the troops and his plan to take action.

On Feb. 9, 2007, McHugh issued a press release detailing his plan (H.R. 775). I was pleased to see that he had taken the action he had promised. On Feb. 13, McHugh addressed the House with a much different take on the war, the funding and the troops during the debate on the "Iraq War Resolution." His opposition included this statement; "somewhere in a cave in Afghanistan, or in a hut on the Afghan-Pakistan border, Osama bin Laden is going to smile."

Mr. McHugh lied to my face regarding the action in Iraq, introduced his bill as a purely political act to stay in line with the majority of Americans, and his actions since our visit have been exactly the opposite of his statements. His record of votes in the House shows that he has voted against every bill that has included language that he proposed in his bill. He also voted against the bill for "Mandatory Troop Rest Periods Between Deployments to Iraq," so much for supporting the troops.

Mr. McHugh's actions over the past 18 months show his true colors. It is well past time for him to go. As a veteran and father to a U.S. Marine, I want to have the confidence that our congressman will be an honest, forthright and courageous voice for our troops. Mike Oot meets those requirements.

Charles O. McMahon

Oneida