Letter to Mark P. Mays from Senator Harry Reid


 * United States Senate
 * Office of the Majority Leader
 * Washington, DC 20510
 * October 2, 2007


 * Mr. Mark P. Mays
 * CEO, Clear Channel Communications Inc.
 * 200 East Basse Road
 * San Antonio, TX 78209

Dear Mr. Mays,

At the time we sign this letter, 3,808 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq, and another 28,009 have been wounded. 160,000 others awoke this morning on foreign sand, far from home, to face the danger and uncertainty of another day at war.

Although Americans of goodwill debate the merits of this war, we can all agree that those who serve with such great courage deserve our deepest respect and gratitude. That is why Rush Limbaugh’s recent characterization of troops who oppose the war as “phony soldiers” is such an outrage.

Our troops are fighting and dying to bring to others the freedoms that many take for granted. It is unconscionable that Mr. Limbaugh would criticize them for exercising the fundamentally American right to free speech. Mr. Limbaugh has made outrageous remarks before, but this affront to our soldiers is beyond the pale.

The military, like any community within the United States, includes members both for and against the war. Senior generals, such as General John Batiste and Paul Eaton, have come out against the war while others have publicly supported it. A December 2006 poll conducted by the Military Times found just 35 percent of service members approved of President Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq, compared to 42 percent who disapproved. From this figure alone, it is clear that Mr. Limbaugh’s insult is directed at thousands of American service members.

Active and retired members of our armed forces have a unique perspective on the war and offer a valuable contribution to our national debate. In August, seven soldiers wrote an op-ed expressing their concern with the current strategy in Iraq. Tragically, since then, two of those seven soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq.

Thousands of active troops and veterans were subjected to Mr. Limbaugh’s unpatriotic and indefensible comments on your broadcast. We trust you will agree that not a single one of our sons, daughters, neighbors and friends serving overseas is a “phony soldier.” We call on you to publicly repudiate these comments that call into question their service and sacrifice and to ask Mr. Limbaugh to apologize for his comments.

Sincerely,


 * Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader
 * Senator Richard Durbin, Assistant Majority Leader
 * Senator Charles Schumer, Vice Chairman, Democratic Conference
 * Senator Patty Murray, Secretary, Democratic Conference
 * Senator Daniel Akaka
 * Senator Max Baucus
 * Senator Joseph Biden
 * Senator Barbara Boxer
 * Senator Sherrod Brown
 * Senator Robert Byrd
 * Senator Benjamin Cardin
 * Senator Tom Carper
 * Senator Bob Casey
 * Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
 * Senator Kent Conrad
 * Senator Christopher Dodd
 * Senator Byron Dorgan
 * Senator Dianne Feinstein
 * Senator Tom Harkin
 * Senator Daniel Inouye
 * Senator Edward M. Kennedy
 * Senator John Kerry
 * Senator Amy Klobuchar
 * Senator Mary Landrieu
 * Senator Frank Lautenberg
 * Senator Patrick Leahy
 * Senator Carl Levin
 * Senator Blanche Lincoln
 * Senator Bob Menendez
 * Senator Barbara Mikulski
 * Senator Bill Nelson
 * Senator Barack Obama
 * Senator Jack Reed
 * Senator Jay Rockefeller
 * Senator Ken Salazar
 * Senator Bernie Sanders
 * Senator Debbie Stabenow
 * Senator Jon Tester
 * Senator Jim Webb
 * Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
 * Senator Ron Wyden