House hopefuls differ on Iraq
By JARED MILLER
Star-Tribune capital bureau
CHEYENNE -- U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin steadfastly defends the war in Iraq as a means to prevent terrorism, and said U.S. troops must provide support as the new Iraqi government takes hold.
"We cannot allow Iraq to become a breeding ground for terrorist activities," Cubin, a Republican, said in a recent telephone interview.
Her Democratic opponent in the Nov. 7 election, Gary Trauner, insists that America's current strategy in Iraq is not working. He said discussions involving both political parties are needed to decide how to proceed.
"The first thing we need to do is be able to have a difficult debate on the tough options we have in front of us," said Trauner, a businessman from Wilson.
After months of campaigning, Trauner said his conversations with voters are increasingly shifting to the war. People no longer understand the United States' involvement in the Middle East conflict, he said.
"They feel like they don't know what our strategy is," Trauner said.
Trauner criticized GOP politicians for adopting slogans such as "stay the course" and "cut and run," which he said politicize a conflict that hurts national security and puts American troops in harm's way.
He also said Congress must push the Bush administration to explain its objectives for Iraq, its plan to achieve them and its exit strategy once the plan is complete.
"When I knock on people's doors -- and I've knocked on 15,000 doors in Wyoming -- I'm with most folks who don't know the answers to those questions," Trauner said.
He also suggested congressional hearings to scrutinize the disappearance of billions of U.S. dollars in Iraq.
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'Stabilize the country'
Trauner said the conflict in Iraq probably has increased the threat of terror against America and that "It's important to learn from history.
"Clearly, things did not go as expected," he said.
Trauner said the United States needs to help stabilize Iraq and secure its borders. He said military commanders should move troops out of what he described as "some type of civil war."
And the United States needs to pursue reconstruction so that Iraqis can enjoy electricity, potable water and better oil prices, he said.
"It would create jobs there and maybe give us the best shot we have to make something half-decent out of a really bad situation," Trauner said.
U.S. diplomats, meanwhile, should make every effort to convince countries in the region that an Iraq in chaos is not in anyone's interest, he said.
"I'm not a military expert, but my gut tells me we need to do our best to stabilize the country," Trauner said.
Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at jared.miller@casperstartribune.net.
http://traunerforcongress.com/newsroom_details.asp?id=851