Harkin: 'There are echoes of ... Vietnam'
By John Skipper the Globe Gazette | Posted: Friday, May 11, 2007
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is accustomed to fielding a wide range of questions from the press.
But a question he got Thursday during a conference call with Iowa reporters caused him to weigh his answer carefully.
"I have a friend who is being re-deployed to Iraq," said a reporter. "If he should be killed, what should I say that he died for?"
Harkin, a longtime opponent of the war in Iraq, said the question is similar to one that John Kerry asked 37 years ago about Vietnam.
"How do you answer dying for a mistake?" said Harkin.
He said soldiers die in the service of their country and that is honorable. And today, since there is no draft, everyone in the service volunteered to be there.
"When they sign up, they take an oath; they are to follow the orders of the commander in chief," he said. "There are echoes of the old Vietnam."
Harkin said congressional leaders are trying to work out a compromise with President Bush on legislation setting deadlines and benchmarks for American involvement in Iraq. Bush vetoed a Democrat-sponsored bill establishing deadlines.
"We're trying to find some compromise," said Harkin. "The president has to realize there's a new ballgame in town. He doesn't run the House and Senate anymore like he did for the past six years. We're trying to do the will of the American people and the president is unwilling to compromise."
Reach John Skipper at (641) 421-0537 or john.skipper@globegazette.com
But a question he got Thursday during a conference call with Iowa reporters caused him to weigh his answer carefully.
"I have a friend who is being re-deployed to Iraq," said a reporter. "If he should be killed, what should I say that he died for?"
Harkin, a longtime opponent of the war in Iraq, said the question is similar to one that John Kerry asked 37 years ago about Vietnam.
"How do you answer dying for a mistake?" said Harkin.
He said soldiers die in the service of their country and that is honorable. And today, since there is no draft, everyone in the service volunteered to be there.
"When they sign up, they take an oath; they are to follow the orders of the commander in chief," he said. "There are echoes of the old Vietnam."
Harkin said congressional leaders are trying to work out a compromise with President Bush on legislation setting deadlines and benchmarks for American involvement in Iraq. Bush vetoed a Democrat-sponsored bill establishing deadlines.
"We're trying to find some compromise," said Harkin. "The president has to realize there's a new ballgame in town. He doesn't run the House and Senate anymore like he did for the past six years. We're trying to do the will of the American people and the president is unwilling to compromise."
Reach John Skipper at (641) 421-0537 or john.skipper@globegazette.com
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
