Scott Brown heads for Afghanistan

No, he's not going as part of a congressional delegation.  Instead, Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., has requested that his annual National Guard training take place in Afghanistan:

“As a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, I have service obligations that I fulfill each year.

"Following in the tradition of other lawmakers who have completed their military service requirements overseas, this year I have requested to conduct my annual training in Afghanistan.

"Doing so will help me to better understand our ongoing mission in that country, and provide me first-hand experience for my duties on the Senate Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs committees," he said.

Brown has served in the National Guard since 1979 but has never been deployed on a combat mission, the Boston Globe reports.