Wes Clark: "It Starts in Iowa"

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I am going to Iowa to campaign for Leonard Boswell, a respected Democratic Congressman and a veteran who may well be the next target of Republican swift boat attacks.

Leonard's seat in Iowa is the number one takeover target for Republicans in the House of Representatives this November. We need to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him to defend this critical seat.

This is my first trip to Iowa this year, and I'm asking you to send a message. Show Leonard Boswell and all Iowans that the Clark community is ready to help them fight back against Republican attacks.

The single most important task for Democrats this year is to take back Congress, and that goal is clearly within reach. But we need to work together to make it happen -- and the best way to start is by helping Leonard hold on to his House seat.

Leonard Boswell is an American hero. A career soldier, he earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, the Soldier's Medal, and numerous other awards. Now, he sits on the House Intelligence Committee, providing valuable oversight and guidance for the war on terror.

We have all seen the despicable strategy Republicans use when they face genuine American heroes like John Kerry, Max Cleland, or John Murtha: They attack their patriotism and smear their good names.

Well we can't let the Republicans do the same thing to Leonard Boswell.

Stand up for this good man, and do your part to help the Democrats take back the House this November.

Unfortunately, we can expect the worst from Boswell's opponent, Jeff Lamberti. He is an advisor to a radical right-wing group that worked with the Swift Boat Veterans to smear John Kerry. They called Iowa's decent and hardworking senator, Tom Harkin, "communist loving."

If you can judge a man by the company he keeps, then Lamberti should give us all pause. He has hired one of Tom DeLay's consultants to be his political advisor. If he is elected, you can be sure we will never see an end to the culture of corruption in Washington. And that's completely unacceptable.

I'm going to Iowa tomorrow to help Leonard Boswell. But you can help Leonard today.

In 2006: An Attack from the Right

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As the only Democratic member of the Iowa delegation, Leonard Boswell has kept Iowa’s Third Congressional district blue for five terms while representing the needs and concerns of his constituents. Boswell’s hard work as a farmer, soldier and community leader mirror the values of the district.

Congressman Leonard Boswell continues to run campaigns that have cost well over a million and a half dollars. However, in 2006 he'll need close to $2.5 million to protect the Democrats’ only seat in Iowa.

Even though Congressman Boswell faced two spirited challenges by attorney Stan Thompson in 2002 and 2004, he will now face the Republican President of the Iowa Senate, Jeff Lamberti. Backed by his family’s personal wealth and connections within the district—as well as the backing of the NRCC—Lamberti represents a more difficult challenge for Congressman Boswell.

Additionally, there will be no top of the ticket help from the Presidential turnout machine in Polk and other Democratic counties. Because of this, the campaign will need to make a greater push for voter registration and turnout on its own. There will, however, be an open-seat gubernatorial race in 2006 that can provide added support in Democratic counties.

Even against a difficult challenger, Leonard Boswell can win in this district. In 2004, Boswell ran 6 points ahead of John Kerry in Polk County (Polk County represent more than 60% of the population in Iowa’s 3rd district). Moreover, Congressman Boswell has always been able to run ahead of other Democratic candidates in rural areas, which make up a majority of his district. Boswell's hard working, aggressive grassroots style of campaigning should never be underestimated, and will once again serve him well in 2006.

Boswell’s experience as a 27-year Army veteran and Vietnam War hero serving on the House Select Intelligence Committee provide unparalleled expertise on National Security and Military issues. In Congress, he helped create the first balanced federal budget in nearly three decades, provided meaningful tax relief to working families, supported the most comprehensive education reform ever undertaken, and has been instrumental in crafting aviation security legislation. Congressman Boswell is also a member of the Agriculture and Transportation & Infrastructure Committees.

About Leonard Boswell

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Congressman Leonard Boswell is a proven leader with the experience to solve tomorrow’s challenges.

Leonard’s honesty, hard work and decency ground his work in the values we live every day. A father, a farmer, a soldier, and a community leader, Leonard Boswell has always been there for his neighbors, and he’s always been there for his country.

Leonard Boswell was born January 10, 1934, and raised in Ringgold and Decatur counties. He attended public schools and learned the tremendous value of Iowa’s exceptional teachers and education system. He graduated from Lamoni High School. Leonard later received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Graceland College, where he met his future wife Dody. These experiences led to dedication to quality education that continues today as he diligently works to see to it that the quality of Iowa schools, teachers, and students improve upon their nationally recognized high level of achievement. Leonard supported increasing Pell Grants to the level they are today, more than double the level they were when he was first elected to Congress, providing low income students with the means they need to continue their education and strive for a better future.

In 1956, Leonard was drafted into the United States Army as a private. He would spend twenty years serving his country in the Army, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. While in the military, Leonard continued his education. He first graduated with honors from the Artillery Officers Candidate School. Later, he graduated first in his class from both the Army Aviation Fixed Wing Flight School and then at the Army Aviation Helicopter Flight School. He also graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and later returned there as an educator, imparting his knowledge onto another generation of brave soldiers.

During his long and distinguished military career (in which he earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, the Soldier’s Medal, and numerous other awards and decorations), Boswell saw the world. Leonard served two one-year tours of duty as an assault helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He also served two NATO tours of duty in Europe, first for four years in Germany, and later for three years in Portugal. Though he saw the world, the place he longed to be was home in Iowa.

In 1976, after retiring from the United States Army as a decorated and respected officer, Boswell returned to Iowa with his family to farm. The farm life had changed drastically from the one he knew and loved as a boy. The farm crisis of the 1980s hit Iowa particularly hard. However, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of his local farmers’ cooperative and grain elevator, Leonard steered the coop through the turbulent times when many others folded.

At the urging of his community, Boswell ran for and was successfully elected to the Iowa Senate in 1984. There he expanded his lifelong commitment to education. He was also instrumental in passing significant spending reform legislation that put Iowa’s finances back on track, thus ensuring a government that was both fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of Iowans. In 1992, Boswell was honored by his colleagues in the Senate by being elected as Senate President, and he was reelected President in 1994 by the unanimous vote of his colleagues.

In 1996, Leonard was elected to the United States House of Representatives. Here he has continued his tradition of fighting for fiscal responsibility in government and for a good education for all. In Congress, he has participated in bringing about the first balanced federal budget in nearly three decades, provided meaningful tax relief to working families, supported the most comprehensive education reform ever undertaken, and has been instrumental in crafting aviation security legislation. He also continues to fight to keep Iowa’s small businesses and rural communities vibrant, to prevent crime, and to protect Social Security and Medicare.

On March 14, 2001, Congressman Boswell was named a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Given his extensive military background and Top Secret clearance, Leonard had a comfortable transition as he took on his committee responsibilities. This committee has oversight over the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and as other security agencies. As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Leonard works closely with the administration to ensure our brave men and women in uniform have the information they need to successfully prosecute the war against terrorism. His subcommittee assignments include the Technical and Tactical Intelligence Subcommittee, as well as the Human Intelligence, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Subcommittee, of which he is the Ranking Member.

Congressman Boswell also serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is a member of the Aviation and Railroads Subcommittees. And Leonard is a member of the Agriculture Committee, where he serves on both the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, and the Livestock and Horticulture subcommittees.

Leonard and Dody have been married for more than forty years. Dody has been a teacher for more than thirty years, teaching even while the family was stationed in Germany and Portugal. Together they have three children and four grandchildren.

Boswell: In His Own Words

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On Homeland Security And The War On Terror:

"I've been very instrumental in pushing for the reform in our intelligence system, to have a national director where they've got clout over these 15 different agencies. We look back prior to 9/11 and there was some information out there that wasn't being shared just because the system is antiquated and wasn't working. We've got to fix that and we're in the process of doing it."

On The Iraq War:

"We have got to take new direction, new leadership and get out of there. And the nations that are involved in that region, major nations -- France, Germany, Russia, and others -- if we're concerned, and we are, they are surely more concerned and so they ought to be brought to the table and we keep the effort up until we get them to the table and come and participate in this and take ownership. Yeah, we want you to help pay for it, but you have ownership because we've got to solve this together or it's going to get worse."

On The Economy::

"There's 500 million Chinese who are moving from the country to the urban setting [in the] next three years, they've got to work. And that's going to be a tremendous challenge to us to not lose our good paying jobs in manufacturing. We've got to be more competitive, we've got to be more up to speed. We've got the productive workers, there's no question about it. We'll put them up against anybody, but they've got to have a level playing field."

On Education:

"It wasn't funded. And we were looked square in the eye and they said, 'Yes, the funding's going to be there.' But right now, after three years, it's $30 billion behind. So it's an unfunded mandate and the school districts are under a lot of pressure to keep up and make sure that our children ... keep up with technology and the teachers ... And this unfunded part of it is simply unacceptable. It needs to be revisited."

On Health Care:

"Put this subject matter right out here on the table in broad daylight and look at how other countries do it. Bring in the best experts we have in this nation -- and we surely have a lot of them -- and have that public discussion. And the end of it, I think we'd come up with what the United States could do to ensure that everybody's got health care."