Rigell Slams Nye's Lack Of Leadership And Judgment
Scott Rigell holds Freshman Congressman Glenn Nye accountable for failure to lead on local defense issues, energy independence, and Nye's lack of judgment in foreign policy.
Online, April 9, 2010 (Newswire.com) - VIRGINIA BEACH, VA: Scott Rigell, Republican candidate in Virginia's Second Congressional District, issued his sharpest criticism of Democratic freshman incumbent Glenn Nye's lack of leadership in the United States Congress regarding the carrier move to Florida, off-shore energy exploration, and his judgment in foreign policy affecting the security of the citizens of Israel.
Rigell released the following statement on Monday:
"The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) issued today announced that the Navy will move a Hampton Roads - based aircraft carrier to Mayport, Florida. The move will mean the loss of 11,000 local jobs and $650 million in annual economic activity in the region. This is a devastating loss for hard working families and small businesses in our communities.
Moving an aircraft carrier to Florida has been on the table for years. Yet our freshman incumbent has been completely ineffective and largely silent on the issue, waiting a full year after he took office, and just days before the QDR was published, to form a commission to coordinate our region's response to Florida's relentless efforts to move our military assets and commands. Even Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim noted that the action Nye took in coordinating the region's response was long overdue."
Rigell also held the freshman congressman accountable for his failure to lead on off-shore energy exploration. Governor Bob McDonnell, along with both Democratic Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner have urged Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar not to delay the lease-sale off the Virginia coast; however, Congressman Nye, in typical fashion, has been largely silent on the issue. Rigell stated:
"Once again our freshman incumbent has failed to lead and, again, it is the hard working families of Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore who pay the price for his uncertainty and inexperience. Instead of leading, Nye is, at best, following.
He has failed to share a clear and compelling vision for our region and our nation. The challenges before us are of such magnitude that we cannot afford to stay on this path of on-the-job training for our freshman congressman. We owe it to ourselves and the next generation of Americans to be well represented and humbly served by a person who has a demonstrated, verifiable track record of leadership and job creation."
Rigell further held Congressman Nye accountable for not supporting Israel. The freshman congressman was one of 54 Democratic representatives to call upon Israel in a signed letter to lift travel restrictions in Gaza. Innocent Israeli citizens have been the target of over 8,600 rocket and mortar attacks from Hamas terrorists, and in an act of self-defense, Israel restricted travel access from Gaza into Israel in order to curb the importation of illegal Qassam rockets by the terrorist organization Hamas. In December 2008, Hamas ended a ceasefire with Israel and has since fired thousands of rockets into Israel, including the cities of Sderot, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Beersheba. Rigell visited Sderot in January of 2010.
Rigell also issued the following statement today:
"Having just returned from a fact-finding visit to Israel, where I met with senior Israel leadership and saw firsthand the rockets that have terrorized the city of Sderot and neighboring cities in the south of Israel, I am stunned by our freshman congressman's decision to sign this letter. By signing the letter and aligning himself with the most liberal members of our Congress, including John Conyer, Jim McGovern and Barbara Lee, Congressman Nye seems more concerned about the rights of Hamas than innocent Israeli citizens. Our freshman congressman fails to fully understand that Hamas is an organization that openly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel and has used Israel's voluntary withdrawal from Gaza to turn schools into terrorist bases, homes into rocket launch pads, and market places into battlefields. The travel restrictions on Gaza are reasonable given Israel's right, indeed its duty, to protect its citizens. Our freshman congressman has made clear that he has a naïve world view and a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature and scope of the threat posed by Hamas to the citizens of our ally, Israel."