Being a senator is just like being a soldier … except when it’s not

During a campaign event in Inglewood over the weekend, Barbara Boxer’s disrespectful attitude toward our armed forces was on full display when she equated the experiences of members of Congress with the experiences of those who have put their lives on the line serving our country in uniform.

BOXER: “You know when you’ve got through similar things you need to share it. I don’t care whether you are a policeman or a fireman or a veteran or by chance a member of Congress. Maxine and I could look at each other and roll our eyes. We know what we are up against. And it is hard for people who are not there to understand the pressure and the great things that go along with it and the tough things that go along with it.” (Sen. Barbara Boxer, Remarks At A Campaign Event, Inglewood, CA, 7/24/10)
Of course. Because sitting on the floor of the U.S. Senate watching Republicans stare back at you from across the aisle is exactly like looking across the desert at an enemy with a weapon pointed right at you. Same thing … just different, right?

Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of disrespectful and tone-deaf comment we’ve come to expect from a woman who has spent nearly three decades in Washington repeatedly opposing defense spending bills, including legislation that provided billions of dollars for body armor and defense health programs for our soldiers.

And we would be remiss if we left out the infamous incident when Barbara Boxer dressed down a brigadier general on national television when he called her “ma’am” instead of “senator.” Or when she refused to condemn a MoveOn.org advertisement that called General David Petraeus “General Betray Us” and accused him of “cooking the books.”

Our men and women in the military put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms; and for that, we owe them a debt a gratitude we will never be able to repay. Barbara Boxer, however, seems to believe that cutting off funding to our armed forces in times of war and disrespecting our soldiers with careless and out-of-touch statements is thanks enough.

Watch the video for yourself: