During coming Congressional debates about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan Rep Mark Kirk's (R-IL) words should (but alas probably won't!) carry extra weight.  He has walked the walk, talked the talk as he serves his country in the reserves..  While most members of Congress spent their winter break on "fact finding" missions or meeting with their constituents back home Kirk, returning to Washington yesterday to be sworn in with others for the next session of Congress, will have some interesting stories to share with his colleagues about his vacation--serving with the Naval Reserves in Afghanistan.  He is the only member of Congress still on active duty in the military reserves, in his case  an 18 year member of the Naval Reserves with the rank of Commander.     Fresh from his experience, he stated    it is important for an increasing NATO force to help develop and strengthen the Afghanistan army and...(Read Full Post)