Starting Monday, the Oz Bengur-for-Congress commercial that has been appearing on this web site (and with this blog) will air on television stations in the Baltimore market, and viewers will hear as clear an anti-Iraq War message as can be found in the 2006 primary campaign. His son doesn't appear in the commercial -- as Martin O'Malley's little boy does -- but Oz Bengur, Democratic candidate for Maryland's Third District congressional seat, draws from his son's military service a point too seldom delivered: The disconnect between Congress and the on-the-ground military that does all the marching, fighting and dying in the age of all-volunteer armed forces.

Fewer than 10 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have family members who have served, or are eligible to serve, in Iraq. Bengur's son, Noah, a Marine captain and Harrier pilot, returned from Iraq after a tour in March. He's stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., and his father believes his son could return to combat duty within the year. Captain Bengur, a graduate of Gilman School and the Maine Maritime Academy, keeps his opinions about the war to himself, and there are no plans to include him in the campaign, other than by reference.

In the meantime, Bengur is running with a clear end-the-war message, saying George Bush's plan for the war and its aftermath has been a costly failure. Bengur's web site keeps a running tally of casualties and costs. He believes it's the No. 1 issue on the minds of voters in 2006.

"Ending the war in Iraq is the most important issue we face," Bengur says. "It is not just a matter of national security, it is a matter of economic security for Maryland families and our nation."