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Baird challenger calls Iraq war 'the right fight'
Wednesday, October 11, 2006 7:24 AM PDT
By Don Jenkins
Printable version
E-mail this articleSouthwest Washington Congressman Brian Baird on Tuesday called attacking Iraq "one of the dumbest ideas in American history," while his opponent in the Nov. 7 election defended the Iraqi war as "the right fight."
Baird, a Vancouver Democrat, and Republican challenger Michael Messmore of Toledo gave their views on Iraq during a joint meeting with The Daily News' editorial board.
Baird said the war has jeopardized progress in Afghanistan, damaged U.S. credibility and put moderate Arab governments on the defensive as their citizens grow angry over civilian deaths in Iraq.
"It was a huge mistake to go in," Baird said. "Because of the Iraq situation the numbers of jihadists being generated is fast exceeding the numbers that we can kill."
Messmore said invading Iraq was a response to Sept. 11 and part of a "comprehensive plan" to take the fight to Islamic fundamentalists.
"I think the policy as originally implemented has still gone fairly well, and we are staying the course," he said. "It has been the right fight."
Baird, as did nearly all congressional Democrats, backed invading Afghanistan to cast out the Taliban in 2001. A year later, he opposed invading Iraq.
In a sweeping condemnation of President Bush's Mideast policies, Baird said the administration to was "extraordinarily naive" to believe U.S. troops could invade a country and be universally hailed as liberators.
"The terrorists trained and were harbored in Afghanistan. That was a righteous fight," Baird said. "We had the whole world with us on Afghanistan, virtually. And now so many people doubt us. It's been a tragedy, in my judgment."
Baird restated his opposition to setting a timetable to withdraw from Iraq. A timetable could jeopardize U.S. troops and put the Iraqi government in an even more precarious position, he said.
"The reason I've been holding on, despite thinking this was one of the dumbest ideas in American history, was the hope that once we're there we can try, try to get this thing to have some kind of positive resolution," he said.
"We need to gradually extricate ourselves from Iraq, strengthen the presence in Afghanistan and put much more attention to the Palestinian-Israeli situation," Baird said.
"I don't see it as cut-and-run. I think the problem with this administration is they've engaged in group-think. And they've said, 'If you don't agree with us, you're with the enemy.' I mean they've actually said this nonsense --- that Democrats don't care about terrorism. What a crazy thing to say."
Messmore said terrorists were rooted in Iraq before the U.S. invasion.
"Iraq, I still feel today, is a valiant effort," Messmore said. "It was a hub of this thing."
Messmore said he believes U.S. troops are making progress in stabilizing Iraq and accused most Democrats of wanting to abandon the effort.
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