SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A Democratic Vietnam veteran running for Congress lashed out at his Republican opponent Friday after a series of Republican-financed attacks questioning his support for U.S. troops.
In a rare display of anger, retired Air Force Maj. Charlie Brown called Republican Rep. John Doolittle a coward who is "hiding behind the flag" and slammed him for failing to serve in Vietnam.
"While I was being shot at in Vietnam, John Doolittle was practicing his tennis game at (the University of California) Santa Cruz," Brown said during a news conference as he was surrounded by fellow veterans.
Brown, 56, left the Air Force in 1998 after 26 years of service. His wife, Jan, also served in the Air Force as a nurse and his son, Jeff, is an Air Force captain who will begin his fourth tour of duty in Iraq in December.
Doolittle campaign spokesman Richard Robinson said the campaign was "thrilled" Brown decided to bring attention to such issues.
"He is not who he says he is," Robinson said. "He says he is supportive of our troops, but he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with left-wing activists at a rally sponsored by (the women's peace and social justice group) Code Pink. We think it's important for the public to know that."
Robinson did not directly address Brown's claims about Doolittle's military service record.
In his first bid for public office, Brown has given Doolittle, 55, his toughest challenge since Doolittle was first elected in 1990. But the Democrat faces a struggle in the 4th Congressional District, which stretches from Sacramento to the Oregon border. Republicans hold a 48 percent to 30 percent registration edge over Democrats.
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