Last November, the Connecticut congressman from the 4th district barely staved off his Democratic challenger, Diane Farrell, winning 52-48 in the first competitive election of his 18-year career. She has since announced that she will be back for another run in 2006, and outraised him in the last quarter.
Now Shays needs to seriously go out and raise money and campaign for votes, a process he seems to hate with a passion. In the meantime, his party is crumbling around him, he's been targetted by the DCCC, the right-wing still doesn't like him or trust him, and the war that he has consistently and passionately supported isn't going all that well. So you could understand why Shays might be a little tense.
So tense that he might announce that no one who hasn't been to Iraq should express an opinion on it. Especially if they don't agree with him.
