U.S. House of Representatives member Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, a self-described "fire-breathing liberal," defender of Israel and friend of both President Barack Obama and Gov. Charlie Crist, is quitting Congress to head a think tank seeking peace in the Middle East. In a conference call Tuesday night with Democratic leaders, Wexler said he will become director of the Washington-based Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. Wexler, 48, is expected to make a public statement about his plans at a 10 a.m. Wednesday press conference at his Boca Raton office. The jockeying to represent his heavily Democratic congressional district began in earnest Tuesday as the news of his departure began to leak out. "I'm still a little bit in shock over all this," said state Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland, though he added he was "for sure" considering a run for the seat. Other potential Democratic contenders in the district covering parts of North Broward and Palm Beach counties are state Sen. Ted Deutch of Delray Beach, West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter and former Broward County Commissioner Ben Graber. Once Wexler's resignation becomes official, state law requires Crist to call a special election. That can leave candidates little time to raise funds and campaign, and sometimes makes for an unpredictable and chaotic race. Wexler prided himself on representing the "greatest generation" -- the World War II veterans and Depression survivors from the Northeast who turned South Florida's retirement communities into Democratic strongholds. He was a high-profile spokesman for the Democratic party during the 2000 presidential recount in the state and fought for a paper trail for voters using electronic machines. To read the complete article, visit www.miamiherald.com.

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From: Congressman Robert Wexler Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 5:05 PM Subject: Wexler to Head Middle East Non-Profit Institute Today, I am announcing that I will be accepting the position of President of the Center for Middle East Peace and will leave Congress in early January of 2010. I was able to successfully serve in Congress due in large part to the friendship and generosity of you and the thousands of my other friends and supporters throughout Florida and the entire country. Thank You. Many of you have supported me since my earliest campaigns for Congress or even my elections to the Florida State Senate.  Your friendship and support has meant the world to me over the last nineteen years, and I value it immensely. I have truly cherished the opportunity to serve my constituents – many of who make up the generation that sacrificed in World War II and Korea and rebuilt our nation after the depression. I am proud that everyday I have sought to advocate for and provide a voice to my constituents; whether it was fighting for a legitimate vote during election 2000, or working toward enacting a voter verified paper trail in Florida, to countless other issues impacting health care, education, Social Security and more. Therefore, my decision to leave Congress did not come easy. Those who know me, and those who have followed my career know that one of my overriding passions has been my work on the Foreign Affairs Committee helping to strengthen and preserve the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel, and working toward a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians and Israel and the Arab world. Additionally, I have made a special effort to improve congressional relations with key allies in the Muslim world by founding the Turkey and Indonesia caucuses. Moreover, it was an extraordinary honor to serve as a Middle East Advisor to President Obama during the presidential campaign and I treasure the experiences I had traveling the country, and especially throughout Florida, advocating for the President’s Middle East agenda. Taking over as President of the Center for Middle East Peace offers me an unparalleled opportunity to work on behalf of Middle East peace for an important and influential non-profit institute. After much discussion with my family, I have decided that I cannot pass up on this opportunity. While I regret that I will be unable to complete my current term in office, I truly believe there is no time to waste.  We are at a unique and critically tense moment in the history of the Middle East with both significant opportunities to succeed in the Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as major challenges involving Iran, Hamas, and al Qaeda. In the coming months, Israeli and Arab leaders will be faced with monumental decisions that will dramatically affect the region and the entire world for decades to come. Critically important American security and foreign policy interests are also at stake. I am convinced that now is the time for me to engage on these issues on a full time basis. If you want to learn more about the Center for Middle East Peace, you can visit its website at www.centerpeace.org. I may be leaving Congress but I except our friendship and work on the issues that we care about to continue. I will stay in touch in the months and years to come and I hope you will do the same. With gratitude and profound thanks, Robert

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