Tea Bagger Joe Walsh Accuses Tammy Duckworth, Double Amputee, Of Not Being A 'True Hero'. Disgusting?

Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) on Sunday accused
his Democratic opponent Tammy Duckworth -- a double-amputee veteran of
the Iraq War -- of not being a "true hero" because she made her military
service central to her campaign.

After calling Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) a "noble hero" for
downplaying his military experience during a 2008 presidential bid,
Walsh shifted gears to Duckworth at an Elk Grove, Ill., town hall.

Duckworth lost both her legs after Iraqi insurgents hit her
helicopter with a rocket propelled grenade in 2004. She is now
challenging incumbent Walsh in Illinois' re-drawn 8th Congressional
district.

"Now I'm running against a woman who, my God, that's all she talks about," said Walsh, a Tea Party freshman. "Our true heroes, it's the last thing in the world they talk about."

Sunday's event was not the first time Walsh mocked Duckworth for touting her military record on the campaign trail.

In an interview with Politico's David Catanese in March, Walsh brushed off Duckworth's military credentials and accused of her being "nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat":

“I have so much respect for what she did in the fact that she sacrificed
her body for this country,” said Walsh, simultaneously lowering his
voice as he leaned forward before pausing for dramatic effect. “Ehhh.
Now let’s move on.”

“What else has she done? Female, wounded veteran … ehhh,” he
continued. “She is nothing more than a handpicked Washington bureaucrat.
David Axelrod, Rahm Emanuel just picked her up and dropped her into
this district."

The same day the Politico story ran, Walsh told Chicago Magazine that he "meant something other than how it came out" when he was being asked about Duckworth.

Walsh has never served in the military.

UPDATE: Walsh released a statement Tuesday afternoon clarifying his town hall remarks about Duckworth's military record.

“Of course Tammy Duckworth is a hero. I have called her a
hero 100’s of times in the past four months. Just like every man and
woman who has worn the uniform, her service demands -- demands -- our
utmost respect. That’s why I recognize our veterans at the beginning of
every one of my public town halls. However, unlike most veterans I have
had the honor to meet since my election to Congress, who rarely if ever
talk about their service or the combat they’ve seen, that is darn near
all of what Tammy Duckworth talks about. Her service demands our thanks
and our respect but not our vote. She is running for Congress -- and
there are real problems in this country like our massive debt, high
unemployment and the Obamacare tax. We are about four months from
Election Day and the people of Illinois have no idea where Tammy
Duckworth stands on these issues because she dodges debate requests,
ignores our invitations to speak at town halls, refuses to talk about
solutions and constantly reminds voters of her war service. Our thoughts
and prayers will always be with her for her service and her loss but
these are serious times and the people of Illinois deserve to know what
she thinks about real issues and what she will do as a Congresswoman."