Fayetteville Observer
Monday, October 30, 2006
www.fayobserver.com

Inside Politics: Where do they stand on flip flops?

Flip flop.

The word has been bandied about so much you would think the 8th Congressional District race between Robin Hayes and Larry Kissell was set on the Florida coast rather than the sandhills and clay of Carolina.

The latest flip flop?

Their stands on the war in Iraq.

Jerry Meek, who said he's never met Hayes, asked in a news release, "Where does flip-floppin' Robin stand?

"Will he stand up for our troops in harm's way or will he follow Bush's political stunt and flip-flop the language, but continue to 'stay the course'?" Meek asked.

Meek, a Fayetteville lawyer, is chairman of the state Democratic Party.

The state Democratic Party even has a Web site — www.flipfloppinrobin.com — detailing its perception of Hayes' positions.

Hayes said the flip-flop focus is "straight out of the Democratic playbook." He said he will continue to listen to "the generals and the noncoms" and adjust our strategy as needed.

He said the Democrats don't get their facts straight, citing news releases stating he did not appear with President Bush in Fayetteville or his last visit Greensboro.

"I was there," he said.

It's also, apparently, a page in the Republican playbook. A election flier sent out by the Hayes' campaign accuses Kissell of changing his position on the war daily.

"Some days he's for the war on terror, other days he against it," reads the flier.

Kissell said his position on the war has been unwavering. We've accomplished our mission and it's time to bring the troops home, he said.

"The phaseout, with honor, should start immediately," Kissell said. He said he is against immediate withdrawal of troops. A phased withdrawal should take a year, he said.