There was a big debate in Eugene between the US Democratic Party Primary candidates. Here is a link to the Eugene Register Guard article and an excerpt.
Merkley took shots at Novick for once publicly praising Ralph Nader, for “taking the Republican bait” and accepting the notion that Social Security’s solvency was at risk, and for being MIA as an opponent of the U.S.-led Iraq invasion “” a point Novick rebuffed by saying he was marching in protests from the start.
Novick lashed Merkley for voting in the Oregon House for a 2003 resolution acknowledging the “courage of President George W. Bush” as well as the valor of U.S. troops. Novick also chided Merkley because his campaign last month said that before he took a position on lifting a ban on loaded guns in national parks, the candidate would want todiscuss it with other Democrats.
Here is The Oregonian article and blurb:
Merkley said he voted for the resolution because he recalled the way troops were treated during the Vietnam War in the 1970s.
“We made a horrendous mistake blaming our soldiers,” Merkley said. He called Novick “missing in action” on the issue of troop support.
I was not missing in action,” Novick shot back. “I was marching in anti-war rallies.”
If those in the audience were put off by the tone, they didn’t show it. They laughed and applauded with gusto a number of times.