A Loveland father with a son getting ready to return to Iraq for the third time is furious over a lawmaker’s criticism of a resolution opposing the war.

"This war has nothing to do with 9/11, with terrorism, with our national security," Ken Bennett, 58, wrote to Sen. Greg Brophy. "We are the parents of a Marine. We do not support the war. You do not speak for us, so please do not claim to speak for military families."

Sen. Ron Tupa, D-Boulder, introduced the resolution Wednesday, urging against any troop buildup in Iraq.

Brophy, a Wray Republican, warned Tupa to expect an all-out war on the Senate floor if he introduces the resolution.

Their exchange resulted in Bennett’s impassioned e-mail to Brophy, which was copied to Tupa.

Brophy said he sympathizes with the parents of the Marine. But he said he has received a flood of calls and e-mails from others who believe that a resolution critical of the Iraq war will undermine troop morale.

"I understand why a parent doesn’t want his kid risking his life," he said. "He has the right to speak out.

"But because you have the right to do something, doesn’t make it the right thing to do.

"I don’t want our guys to fight with one hand tied behind their backs."

Bennett told the Rocky Mountain News on Wednesday that he loves his country, but believes that his son’s life is being put on the line "based on lie and for no legitimate reason."

"We went into this war based on inaccurate information and under false pretense," he said. "There were no weapons of mass destruction."

Bennett said his son, Brad, 22, was scheduled to be discharged in July.

Now he is preparing for his third tour of duty because of Bush’s surge order.

"I certainly want my son home," he said. "I’m also concerned about other Americans’ sons and daughters in Iraq. There is no reason for any American to die in Iraq right now."

A heated Senate exchange is expected, mostly along party lines.

Some 14 Democrats have signed on as co-sponsors, including House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-Boulder.

Tupa has softened the measure from earlier drafts that called for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq.

The kinder/gentler proposal borrows language from GOP members in Congress who are equally perplexed about the direction of the war and Bush’s plan to deploy 20,000 more troops to Iraq.

The resolution states that the U.S. involvement has resulted in the death of 3,150 U.S. soldiers, including 100 men and women stationed in Colorado.

It states that the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians undermines the U.S. efforts to achieve "peace, stability and democracy in Iraq."

"The troop surge is a bad idea," Tupa said. "A lot of people here, in Congress and other states, are questioning the wisdom of this. We are embroiled in an Iraqi civil war, and there is no way we’re going to bring peace to the country."

Sen. Mike Kopp, an Army veteran who served in the first Gulf War, opposes the resolution. The Littleton Republican said U.S. troops in Iraq volunteered to put their lives on the line.

His unit was the first to hit the ground in the first Gulf War. When a Navy ship brought more help, he felt more secure in his mission.

"I can tell you from experience that we have men and women on the battlefield in Iraq who will be happy to see 20,000 more troops show up," Kopp said. "We all want our troops to come home. The fact of the matter is we train our troops to fight. They volunteer to fight."

washingtonam@RockyMountainNews.com

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