Doug Truax in The Chicago Tribune

On Foreign Policy: End Obama's "lead from behind" approach to foreign policy

"We need principled leadership, not just somebody who's going to go to Washington, D.C., and just toe the line and get along," Truax said. "We've got to have people who stand up and say this is the wrong thing and I'm not going to vote for it."

Trua Obama showed weakness on the world stage, particularly in declining to establish a no-fly zone over Syria. "All this weakness leads to conflict down the road, and I think it's dangerous," Truax said.

On Immigration: First secure the border, then no comprehensive reform

Oberweis said he would propose a different approach: visas for immigrants here illegally, but no special path to citizenship. Those immigrants would pay taxes and have the freedom to cross in and out of the U.S. but would not be allowed to vote or participate in entitlement programs, Oberweis said.

Truax said Congress should focus first on securing the border. He said he would resist a comprehensive reform bill because Obama can't be trusted to implement complex legislation. "We've got to get down to specific pieces, and then if the president sticks to that, then we can move on to the second piece," Truax said