Washington Senate Debate: on War & Peace

Maria Cantwell: Leave Afghanistan in 2014 as planned

Cantwell countered that she supports Pres. Obama's plans to withdraw troops in 2014, and she said Pres. Bush deserved blame for not fully funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Michael Baumgartner: Leave Afghanistan now & use funds domestically

Cantwell countered that she supports Pres. Obama's plans to withdraw troops in 2014, and she said Pres. Bush deserved blame for not fully funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Michael Baumgartner: We're wasting resources on democracy-building in Afghanistan

Foreign policy isn't typically the building block of a statewide campaign. Baumgartner acknowledged that most voters care more about domestic issues, especially the economy. That hasn't deterred him. "In my view, people don't care enough about the war," he said. "My interest in foreign policy is above the average voter's interest. That doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it."

[In his campaign], he draws on the lessons of the war zone. "When we were in Iraq & Afghanistan, you didn't sit around thinking about all the things you couldn't do," Baumgartner said. "You thought about the things you could get done."

Dino Rossi: Setting deadline for Afghan withdrawal would aid terrorists

But Murray said she supports a timetable for withdrawal. Murray said. "We owe it to [military families] to know where and how long they're going to be there."

Patty Murray: Set timetable for Afghan withdrawal

But Murray said she supports a timetable for withdrawal. "We have a number of military families who have sacrificed so much for our nation," Murray said. "We owe it to them to know where and how long they're going to be there and how much more sacrifice they have to give."

Christopher Reed: Support the surge; wants more positive news coverage

A: I think that over the last year, since the increase in the surge, I agree with what is going on in Iraq and I support it. The Iraqi troop level is up to over 540,000.

Q: What about the polls that people overwhelmingly oppose the war?

A: I’m not sure that Americans overwhelmingly oppose it. I think the idea that they’re not getting all the correct stats like those that I just gave, if more of that positive news came out instead of just the doom and gloom of Iraq came out I think more Americans would see what’s really going on over there.

Q: So, it’s our fault.

A: No, I wouldn’t say that. I just think that people need to be informed of what’s going on.

Christopher Reed: No timetable for exit; stay until Al Qaeda is quelled

A: I would say until we’re comfortable that the Al Qaeda threat and fundamentalism threat and people who want to destroy Americans just for being Americans is quelled.

Q: So, there’s no two years, ten years?

A: I would never put a timetable on that because all that serves to do is give our enemies a timetable to relax and wait for us to get to that timetable.

Christopher Reed: Saddam was a madman who had WMDs and used them

A: Propaganda. I think it was a madman that had possession and had used weapons of mass destruction before and was willing and able to use them again and we had to make sure that wasn’t going to happen.

George Nethercutt: Murray’s vote against the Iraq war was a wrong decision

MURRAY: Saddam was an evil tyrant and we’re all glad he’s gone. I voted against the resolution to go to war in Iraq because we did not have a clear mission, we didn’t have a clear exit strategy, we were not honest with the American public about the costs-both in lives and in dollars. We’re there now and we must make sure our troops have on the ground the equipment and supplies and support that they need. We must reach out to other nations to get their support as well, because we cannot continue to endure the costs of this conflict.

George Nethercutt: Iraq is one of the chapters in the book on ending terrorism

Patty Murray: Voted against the war because we didn’t have a clear mission

MURRAY: Saddam was an evil tyrant and we’re all glad he’s gone. I voted against the resolution to go to war in Iraq because we did not have a clear mission, we didn’t have a clear exit strategy, we were not honest with the American public about the costs-both in lives and in dollars. We’re there now and we must make sure our troops have on the ground the equipment and supplies and support that they need. We must reach out to other nations to get their support as well, because we cannot continue to endure the costs of this conflict.