Wilson Joins with Fellow House Republicans in Condemning John Kerry’s Remarks

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2006

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Wilson Joins with Fellow House Republicans in Condemning John Kerry’s Remarks

Republican Members call for immediate apology

Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), member of the House Armed Services Committee, today joined with fellow House Republicans in condemning Senator John Kerry’s disparaging remarks about U.S. troops. Wilson and his colleagues wrote Kerry a letter demanding an immediate apology.

“As a 31-year veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces and the father of four sons actively serving in the military, I am appalled by Senator Kerry’s remarks directed at our soldiers. Instead of praising our men and women in uniform as brave patriots who daily risk their lives in defense of our freedoms, Senator Kerry dismissed them as educational delinquents.

“Senator Kerry’s true character is revealed in these few words. He is no longer hiding his utter contempt for our military and our Commander-in-Chief. That he sees himself fit to lead our nation is a mockery to all who have served and defended her.”

**Text of letter follows **

Senator John Kerry
304 Russell Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Kerry:

We are writing to express our outrage over your recent disrespectful and condescending comments concerning our brave troops in Iraq. We demand that you offer a clear and simple apology, without caveat or explanation, to America’s finest.

In case you don’t remember, you told a recent campaign audience, “You know education, if you make the most of it and you study hard and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.” We don’t know how many of our soldiers you have met, but they are the best and brightest that our nation has to offer and unlike you, Senator, they do not believe they are “stuck in Iraq.”

Senator Kerry, it is bad enough that you disparage their mission at every chance you get, that you ignore any signs of progress or hope, that like the mainstream media you focus only on the bad news and ignore the good news that American troops and their Iraqi allies are bringing to Iraqi families every day, and that you offer no alternatives and no plan for victory in Iraq or in the larger War on Terror. Sadly, this seems to have become a pattern: blame America first and disparage the men and women who serve so bravely in our defense.

We hope you will quickly and clearly apologize and in the future think about those who are in danger, so far away, so that we may remain free to exercise the freedoms here that they are bringing to millions of people over there.

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