Rare congressional courage: Pete McCloskey

 

 

Former Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-CA) defied his own Republican party, and President Richard Nixon, as he helped lead opposition to the Vietnam War.

He unsuccessfully challenged President Richard Nixon in the 1972 Republican primaries on an anti-Vietnam War platform (and got just one vote at the Republican convention) and was the first member of Congress to publicly call for President Nixon's resignation after the Saturday Night Massacre.

This excellent documentary reviews the McCloskey story (called the only environmentalist at the time in the Republican party).

He was an early critic of the Zionist Israeli government and a rare supporter of the Palestinian people. The pro-Israel lobby targeted McCloskey for removal from Congress when he spoke out against Israeli war crimes.

This documentary really covers important history and reminds us that now and then we get lucky and get a real leader. 

As anti-war activist Abbie Hoffman told a retreat I organized for the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice many years ago - "protect your [organizational] spark plugs". McCloskey was a spark plug - an honest man who stood with the people at great cost.

Bruce