Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Washington Times
November 27, 2006
Pg. 4
Hope for 'more complete picture'
By Christina Bellantoni, The Washington Times
Capitol Hill freshmen considering changes to Iraq policy next year are scrambling to take trips to the region in order to understand better the consequences of the promise of troop withdrawal, which many of them used to win their elections.
Most freshman Democrats, who appealed to voters frustrated with the war, said they are trying to get onto congressional delegations to Iraq, known as "codels." All the freshman lawmakers interviewed by The Washington Times -- seven personally and several more via spokesmen -- said that the trips are a priority, though none have been scheduled in advance of the 110th Congress' January swearing-in.
"I am anxious to get over there as soon as I can," said Rep.-elect Jerry McNerney, California Democrat. "Iraq is a critical issue that really needs to be resolved, and the more I know about it the more I'll be able to contribute to the solution."
Rep.-elect Tim Walz, Minnesota Democrat, said he knows what it is like to leave a family and life behind when serving in the military.
"I would love to go tomorrow if they would send me," he said. "I need to get there. For me it's very, very personal."
Mr. Walz, a National Guardsman, provided base security for the troops during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
In addition to visiting Iraq, he promises to be a voice for troops, having worked for years to train Guard members and watch over their families. He will support legislation helping veterans and their families with health care and dealing with payday lenders.
Rep. Christopher Shays, who has been to Iraq 14 times, said a more-regular presence of U.S. politicians in the war zone would have prevented many of the worst blunders, including the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
"All members should go to Iraq, and they should go with an open mind," the Connecticut Republican said. "They should be willing to reevaluate their basic conclusions."
Mr. Shays won re-election despite a tough political environment, in part because he reevaluated his own positions on the war. He said he "saw a lot of mistakes," when visiting, including troops without enough body armor and a lack of money in the field.
"You should go, and not just once," said Mr. Shays, who is making another trip to Iraq in the next few days. "Whether you support it, oppose it or are ambivalent, you absolutely need to go."
Rep.-elect Ed Perlmutter, Colorado Democrat, agreed that a firsthand observation will help incoming freshmen. "Being there would give me a more complete picture," he said.
"I'd like to go right away," said Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who will become the first Muslim congressman in the U.S. "It is up to politicians to make sure that soldiers are in the right place, and to withdraw soldiers when it's clear there is a military operation that has not been successful."
But freshmen must wait for their January swearings-in before congressional offices can arrange a codel.
"I'm not prepared to tell people what they ought to do," said Rep. Frank R. Wolf of Virginia, a Republican who suggested the formation of the Iraq Study Group.
"It isn't like going to see a field if you are surveying agriculture policy," he said, while adding that "you learn a lot. There's nothing like actually seeing, listening, hearing and experiencing."
Mr. Wolf, who has been to Iraq three times, said he always worries about placing others in the delegation in danger. On his first trip, he traveled privately outside of military escort and remembers riding in a beat-up car with a broken windshield and "blood all over the place."
Democrat Rep.-elect Steve Cohen of Tennessee said of visiting Iraq: "I suspect it's something that I should do as part of my duty. I don't look forward to it, but it's a duty probably one should do."
It's unlikely all the freshmen will get to go to Iraq, especially if they are assigned to committees that do not handle war policy or defense issues. Still, even though the freshmen haven't yet seen Iraq with their own eyes, they have strong opinions about what the U.S. should do with the troops.
"Our soldiers are sitting ducks," Mr. Cohen said. "I cannot comprehend a successful resolution, no matter how much money, no matter how many troops we amass. We have created a mess."
"I'd like to see a complete redeployment," Mr. McNerney said.
The freshmen said they are eager to vote on such domestic matters as embryonic stem-cell research and the minimum wage, but said no issue is more pressing than the war.
"It's the big elephant in the room," said Rep.-elect Hank Johnson, Georgia Democrat. "People are ready for the war to come to an end as quickly as it is prudent."
November 27, 2006
Pg. 4
Hope for 'more complete picture'
By Christina Bellantoni, The Washington Times
Capitol Hill freshmen considering changes to Iraq policy next year are scrambling to take trips to the region in order to understand better the consequences of the promise of troop withdrawal, which many of them used to win their elections.
Most freshman Democrats, who appealed to voters frustrated with the war, said they are trying to get onto congressional delegations to Iraq, known as "codels." All the freshman lawmakers interviewed by The Washington Times -- seven personally and several more via spokesmen -- said that the trips are a priority, though none have been scheduled in advance of the 110th Congress' January swearing-in.
"I am anxious to get over there as soon as I can," said Rep.-elect Jerry McNerney, California Democrat. "Iraq is a critical issue that really needs to be resolved, and the more I know about it the more I'll be able to contribute to the solution."
Rep.-elect Tim Walz, Minnesota Democrat, said he knows what it is like to leave a family and life behind when serving in the military.
"I would love to go tomorrow if they would send me," he said. "I need to get there. For me it's very, very personal."
Mr. Walz, a National Guardsman, provided base security for the troops during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
In addition to visiting Iraq, he promises to be a voice for troops, having worked for years to train Guard members and watch over their families. He will support legislation helping veterans and their families with health care and dealing with payday lenders.
Rep. Christopher Shays, who has been to Iraq 14 times, said a more-regular presence of U.S. politicians in the war zone would have prevented many of the worst blunders, including the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
"All members should go to Iraq, and they should go with an open mind," the Connecticut Republican said. "They should be willing to reevaluate their basic conclusions."
Mr. Shays won re-election despite a tough political environment, in part because he reevaluated his own positions on the war. He said he "saw a lot of mistakes," when visiting, including troops without enough body armor and a lack of money in the field.
"You should go, and not just once," said Mr. Shays, who is making another trip to Iraq in the next few days. "Whether you support it, oppose it or are ambivalent, you absolutely need to go."
Rep.-elect Ed Perlmutter, Colorado Democrat, agreed that a firsthand observation will help incoming freshmen. "Being there would give me a more complete picture," he said.
"I'd like to go right away," said Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat who will become the first Muslim congressman in the U.S. "It is up to politicians to make sure that soldiers are in the right place, and to withdraw soldiers when it's clear there is a military operation that has not been successful."
But freshmen must wait for their January swearings-in before congressional offices can arrange a codel.
"I'm not prepared to tell people what they ought to do," said Rep. Frank R. Wolf of Virginia, a Republican who suggested the formation of the Iraq Study Group.
"It isn't like going to see a field if you are surveying agriculture policy," he said, while adding that "you learn a lot. There's nothing like actually seeing, listening, hearing and experiencing."
Mr. Wolf, who has been to Iraq three times, said he always worries about placing others in the delegation in danger. On his first trip, he traveled privately outside of military escort and remembers riding in a beat-up car with a broken windshield and "blood all over the place."
Democrat Rep.-elect Steve Cohen of Tennessee said of visiting Iraq: "I suspect it's something that I should do as part of my duty. I don't look forward to it, but it's a duty probably one should do."
It's unlikely all the freshmen will get to go to Iraq, especially if they are assigned to committees that do not handle war policy or defense issues. Still, even though the freshmen haven't yet seen Iraq with their own eyes, they have strong opinions about what the U.S. should do with the troops.
"Our soldiers are sitting ducks," Mr. Cohen said. "I cannot comprehend a successful resolution, no matter how much money, no matter how many troops we amass. We have created a mess."
"I'd like to see a complete redeployment," Mr. McNerney said.
The freshmen said they are eager to vote on such domestic matters as embryonic stem-cell research and the minimum wage, but said no issue is more pressing than the war.
"It's the big elephant in the room," said Rep.-elect Hank Johnson, Georgia Democrat. "People are ready for the war to come to an end as quickly as it is prudent."