Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado says he and others have met with generals behind the scenes and urged them to resign if they disagree with the White House's military policy in the Middle East.
The congressman's comments came in response to a serviceman's question during a Sept. 23 forum at an Irish pub in Colorado Springs.
From War is Boring at Medium:
"[L]et me reassure you on this: A lot of us are talking to the generals behind the scenes, saying, 'Hey, if you disagree with the policy that the White House has given you, let's have a resignation. You know, let's have a public resignation, and state your protest, and go out in a blaze of glory.' And I haven't seen that very much, in fact I haven't seen that at all in years."
Lamborn is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. His campaign did not respond to an opportunity to clarify his remarks, and the news hasn't made much of a splash outside of Colorado's digital news media. He faces conservative Democrat Irv Halter, a retired Air Force major general, in the November election.
"The congressman's comment comes during an election where he's repeatedly being portrayed as [a] weak supporter of military vets, with Halter and opponents citing the large percentage of committee meetings Lamborn has missed. He also recently missed a widely attended veterans political forum," reported the Colorado Springs-based alt-weekly Independent.
Halter's campaign released a statement about his opponent's comments.
From the online-only nonprofit news outlet Colorado Independent:
"It is inappropriate for Congressman Lamborn to politicize our military for his own gain," he said in an email. "When I joined the Air Force, I swore an oath to execute policy - not make policy. All of our service members take seriously their obligation to serve our nation honorably and follow the chain of command.
"Our elected officials should not be encouraging our military leaders to resign when they have a disagreement over policy. Congressman Lamborn's statement shows his immaturity and lack of understanding of the American armed forces. Someone who serves on the House Armed Services Committee should know better."
Colorado's 5th Congressional District is heavily Republican and includes five military installations and the headquarters for Focus on the Family. Mitt Romney carried the district by 59 percent in 2012.