Foster will pay for his vote

Regarding the politics of Mr. Foster's health care vote, it really isn't all that complicated. He didn't "show courage;" he didn't "vote in support of the American people." He voted in support of Ms. Pelosi and the Democrat party, rather than in accordance with the wishes of the majority in his district. We are a representative democracy and Mr. Foster understands this perfectly. Therefore, unless he's delusional (which he isn't), I'm sure he is willing to accept the consequences.

What I found most offensive in this case was his supposed difficulty in making a decision. If you think about it, his tension was between voting on behalf of the majority in his district's wishes (which were very clear) and what his elected party leadership wanted, including the President. So his vote was particularly rancid because it shows how he was co-opted by his party's leadership instead of representing the majority of his constituency.

Mr. Foster knows he was elected in a protest vote against his predecessor and that individual's hand-picked successor. Had he shown political courage by voting against his party and on behalf of his district in the health care debate, I suspect he may have been re-elected. But he didn't and thus deserves the consequences of that decision this coming November.

William A. Bow

St. Charles