When I was a youngster growing up in South Dakota, we never referred to the national debt, it was always referred to as the war debt because it stemmed from World War I.

I met my wife in South Dakota.

I always thought of myself as a good old South Dakota boy who grew up here on the prairie.

I grew up in the Midwest. I grew up in South Dakota.

I did frequently refer to my war record in World War II, but not in any flamboyant way.

The truth is that I oppose the Iraq war, just as I opposed the Vietnam War, because these two conflicts have weakened the U.S. and diminished our standing in the world and our national security.