Veterans PAC Challenges Harkin On McCain Comments

Vets for Freedom, a political action committee, says its is disheartened by the comments first reported by Iowa Independent Friday from U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. In challenging U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the likely Republican presidential nominee, Harkin said he thought McCain's views were shaped by “always having been in the military” and that was “pretty dangerous”.

“As an Iowa veteran who served on the front lines, I was troubled to hear my Senator demean the distinguished service of generations of American patriots.” said Iowa State Captain of Vets for Freedom and Iraq war veteran, Ben Hayden. “To make these comments the day before Armed Forces is Day is even worse. Some of our greatest leaders have been ‘steeped’ in military tradition - from our first President—General George Washington—to John F. Kennedy and General Dwight D. Eisenhower. To say that a view shaped by the military makes an individual less equipped to hold office runs completely counter to our country’s rich history.”

Hayden ads, “Senator Harkin’s comments are nothing more than a political cheap shot aimed at a true war hero, Senator John McCain. All Americans should welcome this type of generational commitment to service, as it provides the very foundation of our great nation.”