[Updated at 6:05 p.m. ET] An Illinois congressman has stuck to his guns – including during a testy interview with CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield this week – in a flap over his assertions that his double-amputee election opponent talks too much about her military service and war injuries.
Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Illinois, has said that the story has been blown out of proportion, arguing that it has been manufactured by liberal opponents who recorded his comments at a campaign event Sunday and then posted them on the Internet, with liberal website ThinkProgress.org starting the coverage.
But he’s defended his stance, arguing that Democrat Tammy Duckworth – a Black Hawk helicopter pilot who lost both legs when her crew was shot down in Iraq in 2004 – rarely makes campaign appearances in her bid to defeat him in Illinois’ 8th Congressional District. When she does, he said, she talks mostly about her background fighting overseas.
We’d like to hear what you think about the issue. First, here’s how it played out this week.
In a Sunday campaign event in a Chicago suburb, Walsh was recalling the 2008 presidential campaign of Republican Sen. John McCain, saying McCain was modest about his background as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. Walsh said McCain was reluctant to make that story a focus of his campaign, despite pressure from advisers to do otherwise.
“That's what's so noble about our heroes. Now I'm running against a woman who, my God, that's all she talks about," Walsh said. "Our true heroes, it's the last thing in the world they talk about. That's why we're so indebted and in awe of what they've done."
The comments spread online, and several groups, including VoteVets.org and Emily’s List, condemned Walsh’s remarks.
Walsh, elected in 2010 with support from the tea party, told CNN’s “The Situation Room with Wolf Blizter” on Wednesday that he believes Duckworth is a hero, but she gives voters a narrow window into her positions on political issues.
“She is a hero, and that demands our respect, but it doesn’t demand our vote. All she does, guys, is talk about her service,” Walsh said.
On Thursday, Walsh got into a heated back-and-forth with Banfield during an interview on CNN. After Banfield attempted to contradict Walsh’s allegation that Duckworth doesn’t talk about issues – she read a list of moments when Duckworth commented on things other than military service – Walsh responded:
“She spends a lot of time talking about her war service. I’ve asked her to debate me monthly. She won’t. I’ve asked her to get directly in front of voters with me. She won’t. She will not get in front of voters and take questions directly from voters. Because she’s a war hero, Ashleigh, that demands our respect. But that doesn’t demand our vote.”
While Walsh and Duckworth might not have debated frequently, they did debate on May 11. According to a Chicago Sun-Times account, Duckworth criticized the GOP’s federal budget proposal, accused Walsh of wanting to end Medicare and backed President Obama’s support of gay marriage, but she declined to answer a question about whether she would have supported the bank bailout of a few years ago.
Duckworth’s stances on issues, according to her campaign website
Duckworth hasn't hidden her war service or injuries. She highlights them on her campaign website. After last week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the health care reform act, she referenced her injuries when discussing the act, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Walsh’s criticism of Duckworth isn’t new. Politico, on March 28, reported that he said this during a 30-minute interview: “I have so much respect for what she did in the fact that she sacrificed her body for this country. Ehhh. Now let’s move on.”
“What else has she done?” Walsh said, according to the March 28 Politico article. “Female, wounded veteran … ehhh. She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat. David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel just picked her up and dropped her into this district.”
He later backtracked on the “dropped her into this district” comment in an interview with Chicago Magazine.
Hitting back on Friday, Duckworth told CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" that she discusses the issues "a majority of the time" and argued that Walsh was trying to "distract" voters away from his record in Congress.
"It's very irresponsible for Mr. Walsh, as a sitting congressman, to try to muzzle war veterans and keep them from talking about their service," Duckworth said.
Duckworth said during a Tuesday interview with MSNBC that Walsh had disrespected veterans and called him an "extremist loudmouth for the tea party." On Wednesday, she told CNN affiliate WLS that Walsh’s comments were “not even worth mentioning.”
This election year marks Duckworth's second run for Congress. The Iraq War veteran made an unsuccessful House bid in 2006, before being tapped by President Barack Obama in 2009 to become an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs. She is a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois Army National Guard.
The two candidates are fighting for a seat representing the new 8th Congressional District outside Chicago and created by the state's recent redistricting process.
– CNN's Ashley Killough contributed to this report.
What do you think of Walsh's stance? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
More trash talk on here than during a street game of basketball.
The world does not stop and begin whenever a new " face" becomes president, the policies begun under past are part of future events, and especially more so those within our Departments of State and Defence.
Looking back in real politics Obama is cartying out the policies began enacted upon by "Lil"Bush, who enacted policies by Clinton, who enacted policies by "Big" Bush, who enacted policies by Regan, that enacted policies that "Big"Bush helped design before he became an elected official while he was in an"AN APPOINTED POSITION AS A CIVILIAN, within the Executive Branch.
O.K., here is the ball back, its your court, and now you can go back to trashing who fouled who.
THE best post I've read yet...thanks, HIDE BEHIND!
This guy is a fool.. But it's not disrespectful to say:
(i) She's a hero, but her heroism doesn't demand our vote; or
(ii) Vets like McCain are modest and won't make political use of their service record.
I also agree that the CNN moderator Asheigh Banfield was unfairly interrupting and wouldn't let him talk.
It's not necessarily that McCain is a modest Vet, it could very well be that there are parts of his military career that don't bear scrutiny. Can anybody say "Forrestfire"?
Typical right wing chickenhawk. Tough talk while never serving anyone but themselves. I've met Mrs Duckworth, she's the real deal. A great lady that will restore the integrity of that seat after that loathsome troll Walsh has been relegated to fox "news" or hate radio. It can't come too soon. These angry, fear mongering, soulless trolls like Walsh need to crawl back under the rock they hid for decades. They aren't welcome in our society.
Ashley, is another Washed Media Leftist Journalist. going back to 1996 Who cares. I was rich in 1996 and now I am poor.
I hate CNN
I see most of you blame Bush for everything, you mean this administration has done what? Nothing we cannot even keep a secret and tell the whole world what we are doing?
So why people ahve secret clearances ? when we can tell the enemy what plans we have been working on?
I see Ashley keeps going back to 1996, i was a middle Class American than now I am poor as I have the GOV telling what to eat and how to buy Health Care INS. For everyone sake Under Bush most americans were much better off than today where jobs dont even exist.
George Bush family served the country in wars, not running being an Organizer Organizer that keep blaming others for his failed leadership!
Well, it seems very few like to comment unless they also throw mud , even if it is just a little dirt. Think after this post I will just not read or post anymore since everyone just seems to want to outdo the other . November, please get here soon. Sadly though, no matter who wins there will always be the ones who look for the worse in people.
And HOW did you suddenly become poor? What changed? Huh? Nothing dod...if you lost a job it was NOT due to the current administration! I doubt you even vote, so shush it!
I like grilled cheese on cheap white bread with a cup of tap water.
First: Tammy Duckworth and Joe Walsh are not running for President, they are running for Congress in an Illinois district. Second: Duckworth does not solely focus on her military service (you'd know this if you've ever heard her speak) and frequently talks about her position on Congressional issues. She cannot hide the fact that she is a double amputee, no matter how uncomfortable that might make people (Joe Walsh) feel. Does that raise questions? Sure. Does she answer them? Of course.
Third: Joe Walsh is still in arrears on his child support, but the court has now ordered it garnished from his Congressional salary.
So instead of any logical debate/response this idiot says ASHLEIGH 78 times...how did Joe Walsh get elected in the first place?
Your kidding about the child support; right ???
Isn't that illegal ???
I'm sure he's a "real hero" to his ex-wife and kids.......
walsh is nothing but a loud mouth evil sob.he's a repub tea partyer with no brains no commomd sense and will do anything that he is told to do.support your family instead of running off at the mouth.join the military then we'll talk.
JERK
Why don't you tell us what you REALLY think? LOL
THIS is what happens when people who are responsible for sending other's children into harm's way for "their country" have had no experience in the military!
who is this interviewer from CNN? She apparently takes sides. I thought they were supposed to be Neutral? She is so argumentative and rude not letting the guy explain his side. it's as if the guy insulted her instead of the lady war hero. What's this lady's problem? Chill out and learn to listen, lady!
Yeah, right. These uppity women need to remember their place and let the big strong men tell them what to think, don't they? He only yelled over any question she asked and never answered one of them. She really needed to listen.
If you're looking for a "neutral" journalist, you have a long search ahead. Every single one has an ax to grind on one issue or another, on both liberal & conservative sides. That's the reality in the media, sorry to say.
Glad to see that I wasn't the only person to notice this.
This is one of the MOST obnoxious man I have ever seen.
He is a loud-mouthed, rude, boorish, inane, conceited Tea-Partier. I find it painful and insulting that ppl like him are using the "tea party" moniker to name themselves. God, do ppl in Illinois actually VOTE for this human megaphone????????