Tom Cotton For Congress

We have written several times over the years about our friend Tom Cotton, most recently here. Tom’s story was summed up in a good article in the Weekly Standard.

Tonight I co-hosted a fundraiser for Tom in Minneapolis. Scott and his wife were among the donors who attended. This was the email invitation that I sent out:

You are invited to a fundraiser in support of my friend Tom Cotton, who is running for Congress in Arkansas’ Fourth District. The event will be on September 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Club. I hope you will come and meet Tom; if you do, I am confident that you will support his candidacy.

Tom grew up on a farm in Arkansas and attended Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was just beginning his legal career when airplanes flew into the Twin Towers in September 2001. Tom completed his clerkship commitment, practiced law long enough to pay his debts, and reported to the nearest Army recruiting office. They told him he was eminently qualified for the JAG corps; he told them that wasn’t what he had in mind. Tom trained as an Army Ranger and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 101st Airborne. He served in Iraq, where he led a platoon in combat during the darkest days of the Iraq war.

At that time, the New York Times was leaking intelligence-gathering secrets as fast as it could get its hands on them. Tom wrote a letter to the editors of the Times, telling them, “You may think you have done a public service, but you have gravely endangered the lives of my soldiers and all other soldiers and innocent Iraqis here….I hope that my colleagues at the Department of Justice match the courage of my soldiers here and prosecute you and your newspaper to the fullest extent of the law.” I don’t think the Times ever published Tom’s letter, but my web site and others did, and it became something of a sensation. Liberals claimed the letter was a fake and that no such person as Tom Cotton existed, apparently believing it impossible that anyone would give up a promising law career to fight in Iraq.

Tom served in combat in Afghanistan as well as Iraq, and was awarded the Bronze Star along with other decorations. He was discharged as a captain after five years of active duty. Since then he has worked for McKinsey, and has now returned to Arkansas to run for Congress in his home district.

The Fourth District is currently represented by a Democrat who has announced that he will not seek re-election. Tom has an excellent shot at the seat, and already has supporters across the country. He has been identified by the NRCC as one of its “Young Guns” for 2012. If we can help Tom get to Washington, he will be a leader of the GOP and the conservative movement for many years to come. Tom is not only a solid conservative, but has the drive and the ability to become one of our country’s top leaders. I hope you will be able to take the opportunity to meet him and extend your support on September 26.

I took this photo of Tom at dinner after the event:

I hope you will take a moment to visit Tom’s brand-new web site and contribute what you can to his campaign.

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