Franken brings experience to Senate race

Although there are capable people running for U.S. Senate in the Democratic primary, the outstanding candidate is former Admiral Michael Franken of Sioux City.

He grew up in rural northwestern Iowa. After graduating from college with a degree in engineering, he joined the U.S. Navy, eventually rising to the rank of vice admiral. During his military career Admiral Franken lived on four continents, visited most of the world's nations, and commanded a ship, a squadron of ships and an international task force at sea. He served as ground force commander of 4,000 personnel in Africa.

He also worked in three policy think tanks, served as Sen. Ted Kennedy's MLA and foreign policy staffer and was head of the Navy's legislative affairs staff, working on highly technical matters, overseeing infrastructure and environmental compliance issues and drafting budgets within the Pentagon. This background makes Admiral Franken an ideal choice for senator in a field where no other candidates have legislative experience.

In meeting Admiral Franken, voters are impressed by his intelligence and thoughtfulness. Unfortunately, in these isolated times, in person meeting is impossible. Seldom do we have candidates of this caliber. I urge you to vote for Michael Franken for U.S. senator.

Nan Riley

Marion