As the Senator from Vermont was kind enough to note, I did have the experience of being commander in chief of our National Guard in Missouri for 8 years.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I can't say enough about the tremendous work the Missouri National Guard has done as part of our military efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.
I've always been intrigued by the Senate, and admired many of the people who have served there.
My father-in-law was once Chairman of Military Affairs in the Senate, the latter part of the Wilson Administrations. He knew a lot about and was fond of the Army.
I have been immeasurably honored to serve the people of Maine for nearly 40 years in public office and for the past 17 years in the United States Senate. It was incredibly difficult to decide that I would not seek a fourth term in the Senate.
I served in the state Senate for six years with retiring Gov. John Lynch. During that time, we had the fourth-lowest unemployment rate in the country.
I loved being in the Senate. That was a wonderful experience.
I'm still a reservist. We have three drilling reservists in the Senate. Senator Graham serves in the Air Force, Senator Brown serves in the Army, and I serve in the Navy.
I ended up being the governor of a very ag state, Nebraska.
I've been a soldier too long to refuse to entertain any request from a potential commander in chief.
I've made no secret that although I loved being a legislator, I particularly loved being a chief executive.
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