Mike Levin: “I wish to join with Senator Boxer in saying that there is no way I know of that one can justify or rationalize the…”

“I wish to join with Senator Boxer in saying that there is no way I know of that one can justify or rationalize the attacks on Senator Cleland or on Senator Kerry. You can't, I believe, do that by saying: Oh, no, they are in a political campaign; therefore, we can impugn their service because they run for office. To say it is different to impugn the honor of veterans such as Senator Cleland and Senator Kerry, it seems to me, is totally unacceptable. It is an effort to justify, differentiate, rationalize attacks which I consider to be abhorrent, just as I do the attack on General Petraeus, and I have said so very publicly. And this amendment, the Boxer amendment, makes it very clear that attacks on men and women who have worn the uniform honorably, attacking their service, their patriotism--this was not an attack on Senator Cleland's politics; this was an attack on his patriotism. Aligning him with Osama bin Laden in an ad is an attack on his patriotism. You can't just single out one attack which you dislike--and we all do, I hope; I hope we all condemn the ad in the New York Times. I have personally, and I feel very personal about it. I thought it was a disgraceful ad. But you can't just then say: But we are not going to talk about other attacks on men and women who have put their lives on the line, given up parts of their body, because they decide to run for public office.”