Sam Johnson
Samuel Robert "Sam" Johnson (born October 11, 1930) is an American politician. He currently is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the third district of Texas.
He is best known for having called presidential candidate John Kerry "Hanoi John." During the Vietnam War, Johnson spent seven years as a prisoner of war.
Johnson made the news again on March 1, 2005, saying in a speech to a church gathering, "Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore." He backed up that statement by recommending a nuclear strike on Syria to President George W. Bush. [1]
Johnson ran unopposed by the Democratic Party in his district in the 2004 election. Paul Jenkins, an Independent, and James Vessels, a member of the Libertarian Party ran against Johnson. Johnson won handily in a highly Republican district. Johnson garnered 86% of the vote (178,099), while Jenkins earned 8% (16,850) and Vessels 6% (13,204).
Johnson, like all House members, will be up for re-election in 2006. He has not yet announced if he will run for re-election at that time.