The Columbian | Serving Clark County, Washington

Question by Columbian staff writer Kathie Durbin:

President Obama announced in March 2009 that he would withdraw most combat troops from Iraq by August 2010, deploy 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and train Afghan troops, and begin withdrawing military forces from Afghanistan in 2011. Do you agree in general with those goals? Briefly, what in your view should be the nation’s future military and political objectives in these two countries?

David Castillo, Republican

I had, and continue to have, concerns about announcing a set date for withdrawal. As a veteran of the U.S. Navy, I understand that military operations require a clear objective and an achievable goal. Once you’ve achieved the goal, you leave. That is what I would like to see happen in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

With regard to Iraq, a remarkable transformation has occurred in the country. Although some sectarian violence continues, the country is relatively safe and peaceful. I would like the U.S. to continue to develop strong relations with Iraq and maintain a small presence in the country. I believe they will become a strong, strategic ally in a tumultuous region.

In Afghanistan, I have serious concerns about the lack of will that appears to be settling in among our NATO allies. In addition, unlike in Iraq, the Afghan government appears unable to provide security to the Afghan people. This makes it extremely difficult for U.S. and NATO forces to truly secure areas of the country. If this situation continues, it will be very hard for the U.S. to stabilize the country and remove the Taliban as a political force.

Cheryl Crist, Democrat

We must bring our troops home. The Obama Administration’s goals for withdrawal are too slow, but distant goals are better than none at all. I agree with Ambassador Eikenberry when he says there is no military solution in Afghanistan. Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools, offers better solutions. He calls for building infrastructure, schools, and hospitals, and listening to the needs of the Afghan people.

Our foreign policy in the Middle East — and across the world — must be based upon peaceful engagement and diplomacy. My son is an active duty Tech Sergeant in the Air Force, I’ve lived many years in military communities, and I know that we can keep our country safe without an expensive empire. We are spending a million dollars per soldier, per year, in Afghanistan — all to fight fewer than 100 Al Qaeda members. Taxpayers in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District have spent $2.5 billion on war since 2001. That’s money that could have provided tens of thousands of Washingtonians with health care, powered more than half the homes in the area, or retrained every person out of work in Southwest Washington. I’ll work to transition our foreign policy and our domestic economy away from war and domination and towards peace and people’s needs.

Denny Heck, Democrat

The war in Iraq was misguided and took our attention away from the true problem in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is now the longest war in American history, and there are still questions and challenges unanswered. I don’t believe we’ve determined how to deal with the corrupt Karzai government to ensure stability for the country. We have yet to find a solution for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the border of Afghanistan, in Pakistan, where extremists have escaped to and are operating.

I look forward to the President’s reassessment of the Afghanistan war due later this year, and I hope it answers several questions. Two very important questions that must be answered are:

What is our definition of success, and does that include an exit plan?

Do we have a reasonable chance of achieving that success?

Failure to answer these questions would strongly necessitate a change in direction and policy in Afghanistan.

David W. Hedrick, Republican

Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but it does not give them the power to authorize, force, or conduct the operations of a war the U.S. is engaged in. That power is left the President of the United States as Commander and Chief.

If I have the opportunity to speak to the President, I will stress these facts and demand that he act like a leader and make a strong decision. This half-in, half-out strategy with timetables and reduced troop levels must stop. American soldiers are not to be used as political pawns. Asking them to fight with one hand tied behind their back to avoid offending voters on either side of the isle, is wrong. The Commander and Chief must analyze the intelligence about the nature and extent of the threat and then, commit to victory or get our brave men and women home and out of harm’s way.

Jaime Herrera, Republican

Our country remains under threat from radical Islamic terrorism, and successful resolution of both wars must remain our goal. With Iraq moving in the right direction compared to even a year ago, we must now turn our attention to winning the War on Terror in Afghanistan. This means the U.S. must provide the support for General Petraeus to be successful in the counterinsurgency efforts. Politics should stop at the water’s edge; as a Member of Congress, I will support President Obama in his commitment to keep America safe and stabilize the region. I believe he was unwise to put a date on our withdrawal, but now it appears he is backing off from an arbitrary date and is committed to a successful outcome in Afghanistan.

Also fundamental is the federal government’s duty to watch after America’s veterans, especially those warriors who have been injured in the line of duty.

Norma Jean Stevens, Independent

We can all agree that we need to bring our troops home, but we cannot leave these countries vulnerable to terrorism and unable to defend against it. We need to truly analyze both situations and determine the best route for all involved. Iraq is on its way to being able to protect itself, but there is still evil lurking, so we must not totally leave the area until the threats are gone. Afghanistan is a different story. There are so many diverse tribes in the region with different wants and needs that it is very difficult to weed out the evildoers. The region is very unstable and prone to mass corruption. We need to deeply scrutinize the situation to determine the best strategy to end the uncertainty of the country and help make it function efficiently and to become prosperous.

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