Sen: Take Action on DeWine (R) Intelligence Committee Absences

Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Avon) has raised the terrible attendance record of Sen. Mike DeWine (R-Cedarville) at hearings of the Senate Intelligence Committee as a campaign issue, and it is gaining traction. The Cleveland Plain Dealer carried a second story on the charges today. This article relates the statement by national security expert Rand Beers that DeWine's attendance at private hearings is no better than his 50% no-show rate at public hearings (over the last two years it's even worse - he missed 8 our of 12 public meetings), and contains DeWine's pathetic response:

"I've attended a large number of hearings, but I'm not going to get into a game about how many I've attended or not. I can't tell you the numbers. I've not counted them."

All this from the candidate who portrays himself as Mr. National Security.

Now is the time to take action on this issue. First, sign the petition that the Brown campaign has started. Second, write a short letter to the editors of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, telling them that DeWine doesn't deserve to stay in office after failing to do his job of oversight over intelligence matters. Here is the link. These steps will keep DeWine's failings on the intelligence committee in the public eye.