Cotton to convention crowd: Fought like his father and grandfather for peace

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, told the Republican National Convention Monday that his father and grandfather fought in wars so their children and grandchildren might live in peace, and he and his generation are willing to do the same.

Cotton spoke for a little more than seven minutes in a primetime address Monday on a night whose theme was “Make America Safe Again.”

He began by describing the service of an Arkansas farm boy who left the comfort of a good job to volunteer to serve in the Army as an infantryman. It was a description similar to one often used of himself but, this time it was referring to his father, Lynn, a Vietnam veteran. Like his father, Cotton said he gave up his own career to serve as an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cotton said his father and grandfather served so that future generations could live in peace, and so is he – for his son, Gabriel, and for the Christmas baby he and his wife are expecting.

“My family isn’t extraordinary. In fact, we’re very ordinary,” he said. “From the farms of Arkansas to the fire stations in New York, so many families could tell the same story. The defense of this country is always a family affair, and these families shoulder more than their share of the task. We don’t fight because we hate our enemies but because we love our country.”

Cotton criticized President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton without mentioning them by name, saying the country had led from behind for eight years.

“Our warriors and their families don’t ask for much,” he said. “We’re blessed to serve, and we’re grateful for the generosity of our fellow citizens. But there are a few things we’d like. We’d like a commander-in-chief who speaks of winning wars and not merely ending wars. We’d like a commander-in-chief who calls the enemy by its name. A commander-in-chief who draws red lines cautiously but enforces them ruthlessly. And it would be nice to have a commander-in-chief who can be trusted to handle classified information. And we’d like politicians who treat our common defense as the chief responsibility of the federal government, not just another government program.”

Cotton said he and his fellow veterans did not want war, saying he had planned memorial services for fallen comrades in Afghanistan, carried flag-draped caskets off a plane, and buried fellow soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. But as George Washington said, “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”

Twice, Cotton said, “Help is on the way,” the second time in reference to a Trump-Pence administration, his only mention of the party’s nominees for president and vice president. Cotton was a late-evening speaker on the convention agenda, but finished shortly before the network primetime slot of 9 p.m.

Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, who sponsored a law in 2015 that would make it possible for Cotton to run for re-election and run for president at the same time in 2020, said in a text that he was “Very proud of how (Sen. Cotton) continues to represent himself and the state of (Arkansas). He made us proud tonight speaking from the heart on the issue close to his heart. Keeping America safe.”

Hester, who was standing next to Cotton after the speech, texted, “With security as the hottest issue in the country, I firmly believe TC could be the most prepared and best placed candidate for a 2020 run should Trump not be successful this cycle.”

Other speakers on Monday night, the convention’s kick-off, included Melania Trump, former New York City Mayor Rudy Guliani, actor Scott Baio, reality TV star Willie Robinson of Duck Dynasty, and Pat Smith, the mother of a solider killed in the infamous Benghazi attacks.