Barely one week before election day, it’s time to review what I like to call the “year of foolishness” lived out loud by U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, a liberal Democrat running for reelection in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

On Dec. 16, 2009, Hare told Chris Matthews’ MSNBC audience he would welcome terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to Thomson, Ill., essentially placing “economic stimulus” for a small Illinois town above proven national security benefits of the secure facility in Cuba.

Almost four months later, he uttered words that would elevate his nationwide visibility for all the wrong reasons: “I don’t worry about the Constitution to be honest.”

On June 3, Hare was told by real veterans that he needed to stop calling himself a veteran and, a day later, news of his threats against a veteran made the news.

Two months later, Hare was passed over for “promotion” when a Sgt. John F. Baker Jr. endorsed his opponent, Bobby Schilling. In response, one of his supporters devalued the Medal of Honor recipient in a letter to the editor of a district newspaper.

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Uh, oh! Phil Hare, the incumbent Democrat running for re-election in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, is at it again, apparently sore at veterans like Medal of Honor recipient John F. Baker Jr. who are supporting his opponent, Republican Bobby Schilling.

With the help of James L. Moody, chairman of the Sangamon County (Ill.) Democratic Party, Hare — the same guy who said, “I don’t worry about the Constitution,” when asked about the Constitutionality of ObamaCare — filed a complaint Aug. 27 with the Federal Election Commission.

Hare’s target: Veterans for the Constitution, a group of military veterans whose stated mission is to seat Conservative leaders who truly represent the people and do not see the Constitution as an obstacle but as a document the founding fathers intended be upheld at all costs. The group, according to spokesperson Ken Moffett, is comprised of only a handful of active members who have managed to raise a whopping $6,000.

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Individuals for whom government buildings, highways and bridges are named usually fall into one of four categories.  They are:

1. Politicians;

2. Wealthy benefactors;

3. War heroes who died on battlefields far from home; or

4. War heroes who lived to tell about their experiences.

As a small token of appreciation, the folks at the Quad Cities Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America held a ceremony Saturday morning in Rock Island, Ill., to dedicate the I-280 bridge in honor of one of those individuals — John F. Baker Jr., a man who, without a shadow of a doubt, falls into the fourth category above.

Baker, a retired Army sergeant and Vietnam veteran, earned his nation’s highest honor — the Medal of Honor — for service above and beyond the call of duty on Nov. 5, 1966. The award citation read by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the East Room of the White House included the following language:

“Sgt. Baker’s selfless heroism, indomitable fighting spirit, and extraordinary gallantry were directly responsible for saving the lives of several of his comrades, and inflicting serious damage on the enemy. His acts were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.”

Ironically, a man who falls into the first category above was invited to join in honoring Baker but did not. That man was U.S. Rep. Phil Hare, the stumbling, bumbling incumbent Democrat from Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.

Take a look at this video, and you’ll understand why Sergeant Baker used the words below in a letter endorsing Hare’s challenger, Republican Bobby Schilling:

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Many of you have been following the dispute between a 90 year old Medal of Honor recipient and his homeowners association about flying the American flag.  If you haven’t, you can read about it in the Richmond Times Dispatch here.

Col. Van T. Barfoot, a resident of Richmond, Virginia, is a veteran of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam who begins his day by raising the flag in his front yard.  This seems simple enough, a man who has sacrificed so much raising the flag he risked his life to defend around the world, yet the dispute continued.

In response, Congressman Buck McKeon (CA-25) of the Armed Services Committee and I introduced a resolution to ensure that ANY of the 72 Congressional Medal of Honor winners can fly the American flag outside their homes at any time.  Interestingly, minutes later the homeowners association announced that they would let him proceed.

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