9/25/13 - A one-time rival of Congressman Mike Rogers is returning to the area this weekend to talk about the situation in Syria. Former CIA Case Officer Jim Marcinkowski unsuccessfully tried to unseat Rogers in the 2006 election, arguing at the time that his national security experience made him the right person for the job. While that appeal didnât make the difference for voters in the 8th Congressional District, Marcinkowskiâs resume of having worked for the CIA, FBI and Naval Intelligence still makes him in demand as a speaker on foreign policy issues. Heâs been tapped to speak this Sunday at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Brighton. His talk is entitled âRussia, Syria and Radical Islamâ. Marcinkowski tells WHMI that the Obama Administrationâs decision to let Russia lead a diplomatic effort at removing Syriaâs chemical weapons is an acknowledgment of their interest in that outcome. He says the Russians have legitimate concerns such weapons could fall into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists and then be used against them. Marcinkowski is currently an adjunct professor at the Michigan Institute for Public Safety Education where he lectures on security issues. As for any future political ambitions, he says heâs done with politics and jokes that considering the dysfunction in Washington D.C. these days, he probably dodged a bullet by losing to Mike Rogers in 2006. (JK)
↧