Say it with us: It's Jotham, like Gotham

Try as he might, Mark Guethle just couldn't get it right. The Kane County Democratic Central Committee chairman flubbed congressional hopeful Jotham (rhymes with Batman's city of "Gotham") Stein's first name more times than I could count at Tuesday night's candidates forum. For nearly the first hour of the 90-minute meeting Guethle called Stein "Jonathan," which is actually John Laesch's full first name.

Stein took it in stride, nonchalantly correcting him at 7:50 p.m., but Guethle (pronounced GATE-lee) flubbed it yet again 15 minutes later. "I'm getting closer," Guethle said with a lighthearted chuckle.

With only a few more questions to go Guethle changed tacks, referring to the St. Charles attorney simply as "Mr. Stein."

Despite the flub, Stein articulated his platform clearly and concisely at the forum, open only to committeemen and the media and held at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva. But it was Laesch who won the crowd; the Newark carpenter's remarks garnered more applause than that of the other two 14th District candidates combined. Geneva resident Joe Serra, the most recent candidate to jump into the race, was absent from the forum.

A former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who served in the Middle East, Laesch repeatedly lashed out at President Bush and the Iraq war. Starting a war with Iran, Laesch said, would cause "World War III."

"If you think Iraq is a mess, Iran would be a complete and utter nightmare," Laesch said.

Laesch pushed Stein and Bill Foster, a scientist and businessman from Mill Creek, to say whether they'd immediately cut funding for the troops in Iraq and whether they'd authorize going to war with Iran. Laesch pledged, if elected, to cut funding for the Iraq war and to vote against going to war with Iran.

In response, neither Foster nor Stein would commit to vote "no" on going to war with Iran, saying they would need to study the issue further. On the issue of Iraq, Foster said he'd push to put a bill on the president's desk that would prohibit funds from being used for combat operations, a move Stein said could be considered unconstitutional. Stein said he'd move to cut funding for the rebuilding effort.

"I will not cut funding for troops," Stein said.

When will GOP debate? And what of the GOP congressional candidates? More than a week has passed since Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns challenged fellow Republican candidates Chris Lauzen, Jim Oberweis and Rudy Clai to a debate. Lauzen sent Burns a letter Thursday saying he looks forward to debates that already have been scheduled by the League of Women Voters and other groups.

Clai said the two campaigns have "been playing a little phone tag" and that he supports a debate "anytime, anywhere." Republican Central Committee Chairman Denny Wiggins said his party is not planning a GOP forum because the township chairmen and community organizations already are planning forums.