Free Republic

Disgraced former congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham brazenly breached ethics and the law in his latter years in the U.S. House of Representatives, but he still has defenders who say he also was a force for good. In sometimes poignant and heart-rending accounts, more than 40 people wrote letters of support for Cunningham, who is scheduled to be sentenced March 3 after pleading guilty to bribery, tax evasion and other charges. The authors include family members, clergy, former political colleagues and military veterans who served with Cunningham during his 20-year career as a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot. A surprising contributor...