Jackson Hole News & Guide - Candidates Split on Solutions for Iraq War

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Jackson Hole News & Guide - Candidates Split on Solutions for Iraq War

Five candidates vying for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives varied greatly in their positions on the Iraq war, with some calling for immediate withdrawal and others supporting keeping troops on the ground there for years.

The candidates discussed the issue Thursday night at a forum organized by the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.

Republican Bill Winney of Bondurant said the U.S. cannot withdraw until it can leave a stable, established government in place.

Winney pointed to the British occupation of Malaya — now Malaysia — which lasted 10 to 12 years, as an example of an occupying force that did not leave until the country was stable.

"They told those people, ‘We are going to leave when we are done,'" he said. "We ought to make it clear that when things are done and there is a stable government in place, a viable government in place, we are going to depart."

Republican Cynthia Lummis of Cheyenne said she supported the troop surge when it was proposed and credited it with helping the Iraqi government.

"It began to give the ... government time to train its own people and respond to terrorist events," she said.

Lummis said the biggest issue in Iraq will be controlling the borders and curbing the influence of Iran there.

"As it becomes more of a border-control issue, there will be more of a role for political solutions brought forward by Iraqis and less of a role for the American military," she said. "I also believe they need, with their own oil revenues, to pay for their heightened role in their own country."

Republican Mark Gordon of Buffalo told the forum audience he would not set a timetable for troop withdrawal.

"The talk in this nation is whether to pull out or stay, and neither one of these options is all that realistic going forward," Gordon said. "We have to see progress on political grounds and we have to recognize the contributions of the soldiers there. We also can't create a vacuum that would be an incubator for terrorists."

Not all Republicans, however, toed the party line of keeping troops in Iraq indefinitely.

Republican Michael Holland of Green River said he felt the country had been misled into the war and the military should pull its troops out immediately.

"Every reason President Bush gave to Congress for going into Iraq was eventually proven to be false," Holland said. "We need to pull our troops out at the earliest possible time and allow the Iraqis to live their lives the best they can."

Democrat Gary Trauner of Wilson also supported a speedy withdrawal from Iraq but said the U.S. has a responsibility to improve conditions in the country before that happens.

"We need to make sure we have more electricity, more potable water and gas prices lower than before the war," he said.

But besides improving the country, he said, the U.S. needs to focus on fighting terrorists that still threaten the country from other areas and let the Iraqi people determine their own destiny.

"We need to get our troops out of direct harm's way in a civil war they need to figure out for themselves," he said.

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