Plane with US Congressmen on board fired upon in Iraq

Plane with U.S. lawmakers fired on while leaving Iraq - CNN.com

Oh, there's too many funny things about this. First, let me say that it's NOT funny to be shot at. However, now that they're okay (well, not dead -- they're still in Congress so, by definition, they're not okay), let the hilarity ensue.

First, why are US lawmakers, as the headline says, in Iraq? Shouldn't they be, um, making laws, um, in the US? What the hell are they doing in Iraq? I don't get it.

These guys, surely, peed their pants. Maybe even left a few brown stains. I would have too. But now they've got some stories to tell the rest of their short lives (they're all old dudes, so time is not on their side). And, boy, will they tell them. Here's the beginning of the fish stories (the stories will get more dramatic as time goes on):

"We were shot at by three rockets," Shelby said in a statement Friday. "It was dark as the dickens, and I was looking out the small window on the plane and I saw a shell. We saw them, they were popping, and we saw the flares."

I'm no missile or ballistics expert, but can you see a shell? Were they really rockets?

Our plane leaving Iraq was fired upon, and it was a close call, but this is something that our men and women in combat face every day. The flight crew was outstanding, and I credit them for the way they handled the situation."

Did he just do what I think he did? Did he compare he and his misguided cohorts to our military men and women? Did he suggest that we should envision him in the same light as our soldiers? Is he serious?