Cook: Republicans Misconstrue Pryor’s Comments On Military Service

Today Republicans are all aflutter because they believe, incorrectly, that Senator Mark Pryor attacked Tom Cotton”s record of military service this morning on MSNBC.

On social media today, Republic Party operatives are slicing and dicing Pryor”s statement to make it appear that the incumbent doesn”t respect our veterans. That is absolutely false since Mark Pryor has always been there for our troops.

Read the entire portion of Pryor”s interview when he”s asked about Cotton”s military service by the MSNBC reporter:

Reporter: So how do you view his [Cotton] two tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq in the context of that?

Pryor: I have total respect for that. I appreciate that. I will never criticize anyone for serving our country and I say thank you for that.

Reporter: But you don’t see it as a qualification to become a Senator?

Pryor: Uhhhh, no. There’s a lot of people in the Senate who didn’t serve in the military. I mean, no. Obviously in the Senate we have all kinds of different people, all kinds of different folks that have come from all kinds of different backgrounds. I casino online think that’s part of this sense of entitlement he gives off. It’s almost like, “Well I served my country, so let me be in the Senate.” Well that’s not how it works in Arkansas. It’s probably not how it works in other states either.

Pryor clearly praised not only Cotton for his military service, but all other veterans for serving their country.

In the second paragraph Pryor was making the point that just because one served in the military, it doesn”t make them automatically qualified to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Moreover, just a few moments before that statement in the story, Pryor made the point that it appeared that Cotton only ran for Congress as a stepping stone for Senate and has gotten nothing done so far in his brief time on Capitol Hill. This flows into the so-called “entitlement” argument Pryor was making.

As a veteran myself, I understood the meaning of Pryor”s statement, but I”ll admit his wording wasn”t made as artfully as it could have been. Which is why the Republic Party is desperately attempting to misconstrue his words.

However, a Republic political operative, and Navy veteran, Laurie Lee inadvertently said it best this morning on Alice Stewart”s radio program:

“Let”s be clear, just because you served in the military doesn”t qualify you for anything outside the respect and honor of American citizens.”

Ironically, Tom Cotton made a similar point when he co-signed a letter with other Congressional military veterans opposing confirmation of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense:

“As military veterans, we admire Chuck Hagel”s honorable and valiant service during the Vietnam War. His courage and commitment in uniform are well documented. At the same time, military experience shouldn”t be the sole or primary qualification for Secretary of Defense.”

Mark Pryor has an exemplary record of fighting for our veterans and our troops. You may not agree with Mark Pryor on various issues, but to suggest he doesn”t honor and respect our soldiers, past and present, is just plain silly.