Platner, a former Marine who fought in Iraq, was really upset when Ted Cruz made fun of the dead Marines. Platner told Susan Collins, “I can assure you your prayers didn’t save my friends from dying in the last war you supported.”
So Platner wrote a whole article in the Houston Chronicle, where he strongly criticized Cruz for treating the lives of American soldiers like numbers.
He said, “Sen. Ted Cruz seems to think dead American service members are just for laughs.”
Earlier this month, Cruz did something he’s known for — making a fool of himself online.
This time, he tried to make a joke about American Marines dying in Iraq.
He wasn’t just talking about some imaginary soldiers, but 17 U.S. Marines and Navy corpsmen from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines.
These 17 brave Marines and sailors were killed in 2005 and 2006. They were loved by their friends and didn’t get to go home to their families.
“I served in the Marine Corps and the U.S. Army.
I was an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a machine gunner in Ramadi and Fallujah, my company had intense battles and suffered many casualties.”
It’s been hard to watch Washington politicians cheer as more young men and women are sent overseas to fight in a war that the president doesn’t even pretend to understand.
Cruz simply doesn’t get it.
He knows nothing about service or sacrifice. When a big winter storm hit Texas, he left to go sunbathing in Cancun.
He also doesn’t understand courage.
He now praises a man, President Donald Trump, who once insulted his wife.
Most of the politicians who are happy about another war in the Middle East don’t know anything about the horrors of war.
They can’t imagine what it feels like when you hear another friend has died. They’ve never seen friends torn apart by explosions.
This attitude really disgusts me.
Because it’s never about what happens to them. It’s always about what happens to us.
These are powerful words from a man who has actually risked his life for our country — unlike Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, or too many Republicans who cheer these terrible, unnecessary wars.
Platner’s willingness to stand up to Ted Cruz on his own ground is exactly what our leaders need.
He would make a great Senator!
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