Re: DOC MERCER CANCELS VACATION TO DETRIOT
DETROIT ? A Republican congressman who said parts of Iraq are no more dangerous than Detroit is drawing criticism from the mayor's office and the Michigan Democratic party.
During an interview Monday with WILS-AM in Lansing, Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, said the returning troops he has talked with "indicate to me that 80 to 85 percent, in a conservative fashion, of (Iraq) is reasonably under control, at least as well as Detroit or Chicago or any of our other big cities. That's an encouraging sign."
State Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer demanded Wednesday that Walberg apologize to his constituents and Detroit residents.
"To compare our largest city to Iraq, a country currently in the middle of a bloody civil war where thousands of our troops and tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, many by beheading and torture, is unconscionable," Brewer said in a news release. "His comments and rubber stamp approval of President Bush's polices, including the plans for massive troop escalation, are out of touch with Michigan voters and what is needed to resolve this conflict."