growing group of a dozen Iraq veterans running next year most as Democrats

NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/17/politics/17vet.html?ex=1292475600&en=b47749c137f549d2&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Red District, Blue Candidate, Purple Heart


By JODI WILGOREN
Published: December 17, 2005

CHICAGO, Dec. 16 - During 13 months of rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, Maj. L. Tammy Duckworth says, she did a lot of reading about American schoolchildren "losing our competitive advantage" with China. Encountering questions about her top-of-the-line prostheses while walking around a shopping mall, she says, made her ponder inequities in America's health care system.

And there was plenty of time to critique the Bush administration's prosecution of the war in Iraq, where she lost both legs and partial use of her right arm when a rocket-propelled grenade hit the Black Hawk helicopter she was flying over the Tigris River.

So Ms. Duckworth, who was discharged from Walter Reed on Wednesday and from active duty the day before, decided to run for Congress, joining a growing group of a dozen Iraq veterans running next year - most, like her, as Democrats.

"I had my legs blown off in Iraq, and because I had my legs blown off in Iraq people are listening to me," said Ms. Duckworth, 37, who plans to announce her candidacy officially on Sunday, at a rally and in an appearance on the ABC News program "This Week." "I'm not going to get my legs back, and that's fine, but if that gives me a platform to talk about the things that are important to me, like education and jobs, that's great."

That should pretty much put to bed the mantra that the republicans are the party of the military.
Put that out in front with the numbers of repbulican officials who have never served in the military and I think you take away one of their talking points each and every election cycle.
Remember to bring these facts forward every time they try to use that line.

just like they did Kerry, McCain, Murtha, and in particular Max Cleland who lost his limbs as did Tammy Duckworth.

all of them.