Saturday, November 21, 1998

His foot in his mouth

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde angered many American veterans when he suggested late Thursday night that Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr deserved a purple heart for surviving a long day of televised questioning about his four-year investigation of President Clinton.

Veterans who called the Abilene Reporter-News Friday morning pointed out that purple hearts were earned in a much more costly manner, and they were insulted that their self-sacrifice should be so diminished by equating it with a day of mere talk. For these veterans, Hyde's thoughtless remark was but a further indication of how little today's policy makers in Washington value those who have given up their lives and put their bodies on the line to keep our country free.

Hyde owes those veterans an apology.