The Silver Spring Penguin

ROCKVILLE — US Rep Albert Wynn (D-Md 4) officially started his re-election campaign Monday with a mini-press junket on the Red Line.

Standing outside the Shady Grove Metro station, Wynn (left) told 30 supporters that his team was “ready to go,” despite an accelerated campaign schedule. Maryland holds its primary elections in February, one month earlier than in previous years.

Later that morning, as the junket rolled towards Bethesda on a Glenmont-bound train, Wynn told The Penguin that he was glad for the early campaign start.

“It gives me the time to talk to people in a relaxed manner, and it enables us to focus on substantive issues,” he said.

One of those issues is the war in Iraq. Wynn called it “the biggest mistake this country’s ever made” and said it was time for other Middle Eastern countries to lead a diplomatic solution.

Wynn also acknowledged that the upcoming election could be a referendum on Congress’s handling of the war. Despite boisterous opposition to the troop surge, the Democrats couldn’t cull enough congressional votes in May to override Bush’s veto of a proposed timetable.

However, Wynn remained optimistic that the country’s time in Iraq was up.

“The failure of the administration’s new surge tactic to yield results will enable us to pressure the administration,” he said. “I personally think that by the time the ‘08 election rolls around, we would have begun a withdrawal.”

After missing the J2 bus connection at Bethesda, the junket eventually cruised into Silver Spring to hear Wynn talk about another hot topic: global warming. Under the searing sun, he told another 30 supporters of his proposal to reduce emissions to 1990 levels.

Wynn also emphasized mass transit as part of the solution to climate change. The Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway and a rail line over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge were on his list of priorities, he said.

Editor’s note: Jennifer Deseo received one-way train and bus fare from the Wynn campaign to participate in this press junket.