As a soldier and combat veteran, I believe American military forces should only be used in the defense and furtherance of our nation's vital interests.

When we do go to combat, it should be with a defined mission and a plan for withdrawal.

We need to preserve programs like Social Security and Medicare for our seniors of today and tomorrow. But we need to strengthen both Social Security and Medicare to make sure these programs are still available for future generations.

In the U.S. Senate, in the short term we need to reduce the tax burden on hard working individuals, families, and small businesses.

We need to balance the budget and force Washington to stop spending more than it takes in.

Healthcare should be about market driven solutions, not government mandates.

In the Iowa senate, I helped pass the largest tax cut in state history - returning over four billion dollars in savings and putting more money back in the pockets of hard-working Iowa families.