House Veterans Affairs Chair moves to swiftboat Iraq vet Tammy Duckworth

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Wednesday October 31, 2012 · 8:39 PM PDT

2012/10/31 · 20:39

Republican Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-08) wants very badly to keep his seat in the House. So it's no surprise that he's aggressively targeting his Democratic opponent, Iraq veteran and former VA Assistant Secretary Tammy Duckworth.

What does come as a surprise, however, is that the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, is now set to campaign with Walsh—against Duckworth—in a swiftboat style attack on Thursday morning.

Brandon Friedman

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Saturday October 20, 2012 · 10:31 PM PDT

2012/10/20 · 22:31

It's been three years, two months, and 20 days since I last posted at Daily Kos. Seems like it's been three weeks. Until recently, it was because I wasn't comfortable publishing personal political opinions on a partisan site while working for the government. But since I left the Department of Veterans Affairs in August, the thing that's kept me away from publishing here has been a lack of time and, well. . .Twitter.

But tonight I finally got the kick in the ass I needed.

Tammy Duckworth (for whom I worked at VA) asked if I'd reach out to the Daily Kos community to let everyone know about this weekend's money bomb. She's trying to raise $250,000 for her race against Rep. Joe Walsh in Illinois.

Brandon Friedman

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Thursday July 30, 2009 · 4:11 PM PDT

2009/07/30 · 16:11

I just realized I’ve only posted one diary here in the last two months. That’s some pretty sparse writing for me. My excuse isn’t bad, though. Alex and I moved from Texas to northern Virginia last month so that we could both take on some new challenges.

Brandon Friedman

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Wednesday July 08, 2009 · 9:45 AM PDT

2009/07/08 · 09:45

As momentum builds toward an eventual repeal of the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" law, Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-PA), the first Iraq veteran elected to Congress, has now assumed the lead in sponsoring the bill.

"It is vital to our national security," Murphy said last week in his first interview since taking over the lead on the so-called Military Readiness Enhancement Act. "We have troops that are fighting in two wars ... and we need every qualified able-bodied individual who is able to serve."

The legislation, which has 150 co-sponsors in the House, would repeal the "don’t ask, don’t tell" policy, which Congress approved in September 1993 and bars the military from discriminating on the basis of a service member’s sexual orientation. More than 13,000 military personnel have been discharged for being gay since the law was enacted.

Brandon Friedman

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Friday May 29, 2009 · 3:18 PM PDT

2009/05/29 · 15:18

How stupid is it to not let gays serve openly in the military? Just watch this Army recruiting ad from the 1980s and substitute the words "man or a woman" with the words "straight or gay" and see how it sounds.

Brandon Friedman

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Sunday May 17, 2009 · 8:57 PM PDT

2009/05/17 · 20:57

Sometimes, in the media, it’s just too late for a person. Take these examples from recent history, for instance:

Brandon Friedman

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Thursday May 07, 2009 · 12:16 AM PDT

2009/05/07 · 00:16

In a victory for anti-gay, shower-fearing advocates of the military’s "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy, Lieutenant Dan Choi--an openly gay infantry officer--was removed yesterday from his position leading soldiers in the New York Army National Guard. He was subsequently kicked out of the Army.

To be certain, this was a spectacular triumph for those trumpeting morality in the Armed Services. In exchange for maintaining the heterosexual purity of Choi’s infantry battalion, the Army only had to give up the following things:

1. A West Point graduate
2. An Arabic linguist
3. A seasoned leader and combat veteran with service in Iraq.

Sacrificing an Arabic linguist with a security clearance is small price to pay, of course, for placating bigots.

Brandon Friedman

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Thursday April 30, 2009 · 2:06 PM PDT

2009/04/30 · 14:06

Know what these photos are?

These are Iraqi troops surrendering by the thousand to U.S. forces during the first Gulf War in 1991. These drafted Iraqi fighters chose to turn themselves over to Americans in droves because they knew they’d be treated better by U.S. troops than by their own government. They had faith in us that we wouldn’t execute them, that we’d feed them and give them water, and that we’d provide them with shelter. To them, facing capture was a much better option than either retreating back to the care of Saddam and his sadistic sons or of fighting to the death.

This worked out well, because it meant that we, as Americans, wouldn’t have to face a determined, cornered enemy that could’ve drawn out the war and inflicted unnecessary casualties on our side. It was seen as a great victory.

Brandon Friedman

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Tuesday April 14, 2009 · 11:17 AM PDT

2009/04/14 · 11:17

It’s become pretty easy to associate the Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin-driven Tax Day "Tea Parties" with the militia movement. While I don’t relate to the "no taxation without representation" crowd today, I do understand the potential need for such a movement in theory. It just depends on what you consider "representation," I guess.

A lot of people don’t know this about me, but my mom’s side of the family has had some pretty healthy ties to the local militia movement in South Carolina. This occurred mostly in the mid to late ‘70s and the early ‘80s, but it’s something we still talk about. And honestly, it’s not something of which I’m ashamed.

Brandon Friedman

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Wednesday April 01, 2009 · 8:11 PM PDT

2009/04/01 · 20:11

During an interview in 2007, Marine Corps General Robert Magnus addressed what it was like having to deal with intolerance and bigotry in the ranks during the 1970s:

When asked if being Jewish was ever a liability in his expansive military career, Magnus’ answer is matter-of-fact: It has not. More pointedly, when asked about anti-Semitism, he recalls only one incident, years ago, when as a captain someone foolishly called him a "Jew boy." His response: "I punched him in the face."

Ironically, the now-retired General Magnus--whose own career was enabled by the tolerance of those not like him--is now actively working to prevent gays from serving openly in the military.

This is hypocrisy.

Brandon Friedman

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Tuesday March 17, 2009 · 2:19 PM PDT

2009/03/17 · 14:19

This is Dan.

(Military Times photo)

As you can see from the photo, Dan is a combat veteran of Iraq. Dan is not only an infantry officer, but he also has a degree in Arabic--something very important if you’re going to be in a place like Iraq. Dan earned his degree in Arabic--and his commission--from a very good school in upstate New York known for providing America with some of its best leaders. The school he attended is commonly known as "West Point."

Brandon Friedman

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Tuesday February 17, 2009 · 2:30 PM PST

2009/02/17 · 14:30

President Barack Obama is sending more troops to Afghanistan. From the AP:

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has signed off on an increase in U.S. forces for the flagging war in Afghanistan, defense and congressional officials said Tuesday.

The Obama administration is expected to announce by Wednesday that it will send one additional Army brigade and an unknown number of U.S. Marines to Afghanistan in coming months. One source says the total is about 17,000 troops.

Spencer Ackerman at the Washington Independent has the press release directly from the White House:

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