Hackett declares Support for War in Iraq

Hackett blasts Carney, announces candidacy
By James Loewenstein, Staff Writer
09/19/2007
In a speech in Towanda on Tuesday, Chris Hackett, who is running for Congress in the 10th District, said he would be a strong, conservative voice in the House of Representatives, and he blasted his Democratic opponent, incumbent Chris Carney.
"This district needs the right representation," said Hackett, a Republican who is lives in Shavertown in Luzerne County. "It doesn't have it now."Approximately 25 people - including local Republican officials, supporters, and people interested in finding out about Hackett - heard his speech, which he made on the front steps of the Bradford County Courthouse in Towanda.While the next congressional election in the 10th District will not occur until 2008, the race is already heating up and is expected to draw national attention.Hackett owns four businesses. He owns an insurance brokerage, called OneSource Benefit Solutions; a temporary staffing agency, called OneSource Staffing Solutions; a professional recruiting firm, called SHS Tech Staffing; and an administrative services firm, called OneSource HR Solutions. The four businesses have a total of 25 offices, Hackett said.Hackett was introduced to the audience in front of the courthouse by Republican Bradford County Commissioner Doug McLinko."We as Republicans believe that the government is too big, too intrusive, takes too much of our money, and wastes it," said McLinko, who added that Hackett would work in Congress to address those problems.In his speech, Hackett said the United States needs to "continue to have persistence" in Iraq."We have a moral obligation to do what we can to make the best of the situation (in Iraq)," Hackett said. "If we pull out today, there will be genocide in that country, and there will be a safe haven for terrorists to attack us in the future, and it will not be safe for our military to exit the country.""It's a very, very difficult set of circumstances (in Iraq)," Hackett said. "So we do need to continue to have persistence in dealing with this."I think this is the challenge of my generation," said the 44-year-old Hackett, referring to the war in Iraq."Generations before us have had the fortitude to follow through in these types of conflicts," such as World War II and the Cold War, Hackett said. "It is critical for my generation to step up and really start to recognize what is important for this country."Hackett, who has never held or run for public office before, said Carney was "involved in a lot of the ... research that was done to decide if we should go into Iraq. He (Carney) was part of the intelligence community that provided that information to the president."
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