Mark Steven Kirk
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Categories: 110th Congress | Illinois Republicans
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Mark Kirk (born September 15, 1959, in Champaign, Illinois) is the Republican Representative serving the 10th Congressional District of Illinois. First elected to Congress in 2000, Kirk has been reelected since.
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A Veteran of recent warfare
Kirk was commissioned in 1989 as a reserve intelligence officer in the Navy. In the Navy, Kirk served during the conflicts with Haiti, and Bosnia/Herzegovina/Kosovo. He served aboard USS Normandy, USS John C. Stennis, and USS John C Stennis. Kirk also served three tours in Panama and was an aircrewman over Iraq as part of Operation Northern Watch. He was named United States Navy Reserve Intelligence Officer of the Year in 1999 for his combat service in Kosovo. He currently serves in the United States Naval Reserve.[1] His current service in the reserve may actualy legaly prevent him from condemning Bush.
Wasteful Foreign Travel
In 2004-2005 Republican Mark Kirk traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and The Netherlands, and reported $20,297.87 in expenses paid by U.S. taxpayers. By comparison Democrat Melissa Bean recorded only $1,041.00 in taxpayer charges expenses to travel to Kuwait, Qatar and Ireland in the same period. Source: "Where the Illinois Congressional Delegation Traveled in 2004-2005." Associated Press. March 13, 2006.
Position of the Space Race With China
Kirk participated in the first U.S. government delegation visit to China's remote space launch facility. His later commented that, "The American people have no idea how massive the China space program is." Larry Wheeler. "U.S. Losing Unofficial Space Race, Congressmen Say." Florida Today. March 31, 2006.
Iraq war hurting the Republican Party
In a New York Times article dated May 7, 2007, and entitled, Some Hitherto Staunch G.O.P. Voters Souring on Iraq, Susan Saulny reported:
- Though voters here in the 10th Congressional District have elected a Republican to the House for as long as anyone can remember, there is a newfound hostility about the war that is being directed toward Mr. Kirk, who was narrowly re-elected to a fourth term last November.
- Nor is Mr. Kirk alone in his struggle to appease increasingly restless constituents. He and 10 other Republicans in Congress recently delivered a warning to President Bush that conditions in Iraq needed to improve soon because public support of the war was crumbling. [2]
2008 Election
Illinois Democrat Dan Seals has formally announced his entry in the 10th congressional seat election in 2008. Setting the stage for a rematch of the 2006 election. [3]
Education
- B.A., Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., 1981
- M.S., London School of Economics, London, England, 1982
- J.D., Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., 1992
Military service
- United States Naval Reserves, 1989 to present
Employment
- lawyer, private practice
Political history
- staff member for United States Representative John Porter of Illinois, 1984-1990
- special assistant, United States Department of State, 1992-1993
- staff member for United States House of Representatives International Relations Committee, 1995
- elected as a Republican to the 107th United States Congress and to the three succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2001-present)
GovTrack link
External links
- Rep. Mark Kirk House website bio page
- KIRK, Mark Steven, (1959 - ) from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-Present
- Rep. Mark Kirk On the Issues
- OpenSecrets.org: Career Profile of Rep. Mark Kirk
- OpenCongress.org: Rep. Mark Kirk
- Progressive Punch: Rep. Mark Kirk
- Project Vote Smart: Interest Group Ratings of Rep. Mark Kirk
- Washington Post Votes Database: Rep. Mark Kirk
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