June 14, 2007 — Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) issued the following statement today in response to Senator Reid’s recent comments regarding General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in which Senator Reid insulted General Pace to a group of liberal bloggers, referring to him as “incompetent”.

Congressman Franks stated, “Men like Senator Harry Reid sleep safely at night because courageous and valiant warriors like General Peter Pace have stood ready on the battlefield to defeat any enemy who would do harm to Senator Reid or any other American.

“Inextricably, the Senator has recently made shallow and insulting comments against General Pace that pale in the shadow of this patriotic giant.  For the Senate Majority Leader— the very individual who should epitomize American statesmanship— to denigrate this great champion of our United States military is a disgrace to the office of a United States Senator.

“General Pace has nobly served our nation, protected the innocent, and fought beside his marines to preserve freedom and justice throughout the world for almost four decades, and he is the embodiment of a truly great and noble American hero.  He walks into the pages of history as a 21st century Valley Forge American.”