Rahm Emanuel, head of the Democrats' House takeover effort, wants to win the Illinois 6th Congressional District more than any other seat  in the House of Representatives. It is Henry Hyde's old seat.

As Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Hyde is blamed by Emanuel for the impeachment of Bill Clinton, a historical black mark that will never be erased from the history books. Emanuel worker in Clinton's White House and lived through the agony. He really wants to wants to win one for the Bubba.

As head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he has been in a position to direct his own considerable energy and substantial sums to the victory of his hand picked candidate, Tammy Duckworth, who doesn't even live in the district.

There is a lot of irony in Duckworth's situation. She is a wounded vet who lost both of her legs in Iraq in November 2004, but she was disappointed that the Veterans of Foreign Wars political action committee endorsed her opponent, Peter Roskam last Friday. She shouldn't be so surprised. Veterans have seen politicians try to use them far too often, and they don't like it.

Her friends in the traditional media like to say that she was 'encouraged' to run by Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate's Democrat whip. His type of support for our military is well known, most notably in June, 2005 when he compared their behavior to that of Nazis, operators of the Soviet gulag and Pol Pot. In the context of Sen. Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, the word 'encouraged' means that Ms. Duckworth, having bravely sacrificed for her country, was recovering from the loss of her legs in Walter Reed Hospital, when who should show up but Dick Durbin!

He and Rahm Emanuel had cooked up a strategy that they hoped would overcome the voters justifiable wariness about trusting the party of Nancy Pelosi, Dennis Kucinich and Russ Feingold with national security, especially in a post—9/11 world. Get veterans to run! And if they are disabled, all the better! Who can accuse them of wanting to cut and run?  If anyone dares question their national security credentials or public policy positions, feign moral outrage to deflect any serious discussion. So there was Durbin, sniffing around Walter Reed like Madonna at an African orphanage, where he discovered Tammy Duckworth.

Democrat Tammy Duckworth, likes to refer to her opponent as 'Rubber Stamp Peter Roskam,' typing him to President Bush.  But she can't wait to get to Congress so that she can rubber stamp President Bush's amnesty for illegals.  She touts herself as independent, which could be another example of that creative definition habit that Democrats so enjoy. I suppose we could consider Tammy Duckworth independent from the Chicago cabal of Democrat apparatchiks who created her as a candidate, sort in the same way that Paris Hilton is independent from her trust fund.

As the anointed candidate of the national party, Duckworth was the recipient of its considerable resources, even back in the primary. The Duckwoth candidacy was invented after a serious grassroots candidate, Christine Cegelis, had already launched her run. Thanks to all the support Duckworth received from her sponsors Durbin, Emanuel & Company, she was barely able to defeat Cegelis,, even though Cegelis had run a very impressive campaign against Henry Hyde in 2004.

After that narrow defeat, Ms. Cegelis dusted herself off and continued building an organization in anticipation of running again in 2006 when the seat would be open due to Hyde's retirement. None of that mattered once Rahm decided that this year's must—have accessory for the wannabe ruling party is a military vet, even one that doesn't live in the district. Ms. Cegelis was thrown under the bus, the party's money faucet opened up, and the cash poured into Duckworth's campaign.

Consider just this one recent item from Chicago Sun—Times reporter Lynn Sweet:

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved $2.33 million in air time for Dem Tammy Duckworth, running against Peter Roskam in the west suburban 6th CD and $2.32 million for Rep. Melissa Bean (D—Ill.) who is being challenged by David McSweeney in the north suburban eighth CD.

These numbers come from The Hill, a newspaper covering Capitol Hill.

Tammy Duckworth's claim to be independent is highly questionable, considering the amounts of cash flowing her way. She shouldn't be surprised that the VFW saw through Durbin's and Emanuel's cynical political ploy and endorsed her opponent. They are smart enough to realize just who will be a rubber stamp and for whom when she gets to Washington. Many of its members are old enough to remember Charlie McCarthy, and while they might appreciate that act, they don't appreciate these power—hungry operatives trying to turn one of their members, and one of our brave soldiers, into a living, breathing ventriloquist's dummy.

No one can diminish the heroism of Ms. Duckworth's sacrifice, the gratitude that all Americans feel for it, or the respect in which we hold it. Many voters in the district are distressed and angered by the democrats attempts to use her service to manipulate them. In addition, not only is this veteran—as—mascot routine infuriating, it is yet another demonstration that the power—at—any—price Democrats cant be trusted.