WASHINGTON, D.C., (CitizenWire) — The endorsement of Congressman Steve Kagan by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee has been called “preposterous” by the Chairman of Patriotic Veterans Inc due to Kagan’s “consistent lack of support for our troops in the field.”
Retired Army Colonel Charles Thomann, one of the few surviving combat veterans of three major wars, said Kagan’s “relentless opposition to support for our military overseas and missile defense at home” is totally opposed to the majority of American veterans.”
Thomann pointed out that, in 2007, Kagan voted against support of the surge in Iraq and for the immediate withdrawal of American forces. In 2010, Kagan voted to restrict funding in Afghanistan to defensive purposes and to withdraw troops, a proposal vehemently opposed by the Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Armed Services Committee alike.
“Kagan has also voted not once, not twice, but three times in three years to cut funding for our missile defense system,” Kagan noted. “Congressman Kagan, by his actions, is one of the leading voices against our military in Congress,” Thomann said. It is preposterous that he should get the endorsement of any veterans organization, particularly the PAC for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Thomann quoted Congressman Buck McKeon, the senior Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, when the amendment to restrict funding for the troops in Afghanistan supported by Congressman Kagan was debated in the House. McKeon said that passing this amendment “would go far to cripple the war effort in Afghanistan and directly undermine the Commander in Chief.”
Thomann pointed out that Kagan was part of a small minority of House members who voted for this amendment that would have “handcuffed our military.”
“I urge Wisconsin veterans to take a close look at Congressman Kagan’s record on military issues before casting their vote,” Thomann said.
Col. Charles Thomann, U.S. Army (Ret.) is the national spokesman for Patriotic Veterans Inc, a 501(c)4 veterans organization formed in 2008. He lives in Annapolis, MD with his wife Joyce.
Copyright © 2010 CitizenWire™ and Neotrope®. CitizenWire is a publication of the Neotrope News Network.