For 32 years the 6th Congressional District of Illinois has been represented by Rep. Henry Hyde, whom this page has long admired. When he takes a position, you know he's standing on principle. He's not afraid to buck his own party, as he did in 1994 when he supported a ban on semiautomatic assault weapons. In the face of death threats, Hyde didn't back away from that. The Tribune said he made " a courageous decision." More recently, he has encouraged the U.S. to lead in the worldwide fight against AIDS. He is a giant in the House, respected as one of the great voices of conservatism. Now he is retiring.
So, who should succeed Hyde? We think it's someone who disagrees with him on many issues, but who would bring a similar sense of principle to the House. The Tribune endorses Democrat Tammy Duckworth for Congress.
Duckworth grew up in Southeast Asia, the daughter of a U.S. Army officer. She earned a master's degree in international affairs at George Washington University and wanted to pursue a career as a diplomat. But she also felt called to the military and enlisted in the Illinois Army Reserve in 1992.
In November 2004, she was piloting a Black Hawk helicopter north of Baghdad that was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. She was grievously wounded; she lost both legs, and her right arm was shattered.
She calls on her military experience and her sacrifice when she talks about Iraq but also when she talks about the health-care crisis in America. She benefited from superior Veterans Administration care but knows many other people don't have that option.
Duckworth is not nearly as polished a campaigner as her opponent, Republican state Sen. Peter Roskam, who has spent 16 years in the General Assembly. There is something refreshing about that.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0610180034oct18,1,5442756.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true
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