Kline is No Chickenhawk

Just to shake things up a little bit here, I'm actually going to write a post praising John Kline.

See, many folks opposed to the war in Iraq charge that the principal architects of the war are "chickenhawks" --- they preach endlessly about how vitally important it is that we send U.S. troops into harms' way in Iraq (2307 casualties and counting) but they weren't willing to put their own lives on the line when they had the chance.

George Bush. Dick Cheney. Paul Wolfowitz. Condoleeza Rice. Bill Frist. Karl Rove. Dennis Hastert. Tom DeLay. The list goes on and on.

But whatever else you might say about John Kline and his support for the war, he's certainly no chickenhawk. He is a 25-year Marine Corps veteran, having served in both Vietnam and Somalia. And he gained the trust of two presidents, carrying nuclear launch codes for both Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.

And it doesn't stop there. Kline's son, Major J. Daniel Kline, left for a 1-year tour of duty in Iraq last September. At the time Kline said (Star Tribune, September 18, 2005):

"You can also reassure yourself of the odds that are overwhelmingly in favor of your son or daughter coming back safe and healthy," said Kline of Lakeville. "But it doesn't mean you don't worry."

Kline, a retired Marine Corps colonel, has been a rock-solid supporter of the war and the fight against global terrorism, even before he was elected to Congress in 2002 to represent Minnesota's Second District, which incorporates the Twin Cities' south suburban region. He said that having a son en route to Iraq has not changed his convictions that Saddam Hussein represented a threat to the United States and needed to be removed and that the U.S. military should remain in Iraq until that country's economy, security and democracy are secure.

There can be no doubt that Kline sincerely believes that this is a war which must be fought. And he deserves credit for holding fast to his beliefs even when his son is in harms' way. It's just unfortunate those beliefs are so misguided.