Lauzen talks about plans for Iraq

Republican congressional hopeful Chris Lauzen flirts with -- but stops short of -- criticizing the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq war.

That marks a key difference between Lauzen, a state senator from Aurora, and Jim Oberweis, a businessman from Sugar Grove. Both are seeking the GOP nomination for Illinois' 14th Congressional District seat, vacated in November by Dennis Hastert.

Oberweis and Lauzen agree the U.S. troop surge has stabilized Iraq sufficiently to permit the start of a gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops. Both oppose any announced timetable.

Lauzen, a state senator from Aurora, also said it's time to consider, in the absence of an effective political solution, partitioning Iraq along ethnic lines. He emphasized, though, that any such map should be drawn by Iraqis, not imposed by the United States.

Lauzen, who has one son in the Marines and a second in Naval ROTC training, says that as a congressman, he would use a cautious approach in any discussion of going to war.

"There's a perception," Lauzen said, "that a handful of powerful people can take away from us family members -- even though those family members bravely put themselves forward to defend our prosperity and security and peace. It breeds the deepest kind of cynicism toward government when people who make those decisions don't have their kids own invested."

Lauzen also noted the Constitution delegates war-declaration power to Congress, not the president. Lauzen said he is not, in those remarks, referring to decisions made regarding Iraq.

The Oberweis campaign did not return phone calls seeking expanded comments on Iraq, but in a questionnaire completed for the Daily Herald, he expressed agreement with Gen. David Petraeus that troop withdrawal can begin now.

"I don't want to see U.S. combat troops in Iraq any longer than they have to be," Oberweis wrote.

Lauzen agreed with that and said he is sensitive to polls showing that some two-thirds of Americans oppose the war.

But he also termed global terrorism networks a "massive threat" and said, "We've been so fortunate (terrorism) hasn't struck again on our soil. I'll do everything, within our Constitution, to avoid bringing that to our country again. I believe it's better to fight terrorists on their own soil than on our streets."

Even in that effort, Lauzen said, the United States should have a "clear policy" that it will not engage in torture, with exceptions made only in instances of powerful evidence that the policy would cost American lives.

A third Republican candidate, Michael J. Dilger of Evanston, has not responded to phone calls or questionnaire requests. Four Democrats are seeking their party's nomination in the 14th District.