Democrats focus on how to withdraw troops

Democratic candidates in the 10th Congressional District are sticking to the party line of getting troops out of Iraq, but they differ on the speed and method.

Dan Seals and Jay Footlik agree the disposition of Iraq is a priority in the diverse district, which stretches west and south from Lake Michigan at North Chicago to the more affluent North Shore and into parts of Cook County.

The views presented below come from recent interviews with the candidates, as well as their responses to a Daily Herald questionnaire.

Seals maintains the war has been mismanaged and misguided -- the same view he had in 2006, when he lost a close race to incumbent U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk.

He favors a phased withdrawal, which he predicts would take about a year after a new president is elected. Specific timing and numbers would be dictated by measurable guidelines for the Iraqi government to take control of various issues.

"The size of our force is a net negative. Reducing the force actually helps to the stability there," he said.

Removing troops at to-be-determined intervals would also pressure the Iraqis to resolve several big issues, such as how to use oil revenues, whether it should have a functioning army and what type of country it wants to be, Seals said.

"I think we can start bringing them home almost immediately," said Seals, 36, of Wilmette. "Move down from occupation level and get them down to a much more manageable level that's not destabilizing."

Seals, a business consultant and adjunct professor of public policy at Northwestern University, said he would focus on the assessment of military leaders to determine the timing. He favors a carrot and stick approach with clear milestones and said the Iraqis need to know the presence of U.S. forces would not be permanent.

"If they're (Iraqi government) not going to do anything, I have a hard time explaining why our troops are risking their lives," he said.

Footlik, 42, of Buffalo Grove, is a consultant on security issues, who has lived and worked in the Middle East.

He said the ongoing strategy has created further divisions among various Iraqi groups. Having troops in the city centers draws more fire and extremists, he said.

"We have chased moderates into the hands of extremists," he said.

Instead, he calls for substituting the day-to-day presence in the city centers with forces stationed offshore that can be rapidly deployed in a crisis but will not be in the middle of warring parties.

He says a phased withdrawal could start in 60 to 90 days, and U.S. troops should be responsibly removed from a fighting role by the end of 2008.

The scenario depends on changing the nature of U.S. involvement, however. Footlik says the emphasis should be on geographic rather than cultural constituencies in which Iraqis have a local stake in what happens.

He also called for a diplomatic push for regional cooperation on a post-Iraq plan. That would include countries, such as Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Iran and Syria.

"The tough part is to know what to do and try and form a coalition around some realistic policy goals," he said.

Footlik is harsh on Saudi Arabia, which he says has a vested interest in Iraq.

"Why aren't they being pressured to play a more productive role?" Footlik said. "We aren't involving regional partners to the extent we can and should."

Seals says the U.S. should help the Iraqis with their decision-making before and after troops are drawn down. The U.S. also should continue to supply expertise, money and "even weapons" but not troops.

"We can show them the path, but they must walk it and fight for it (democracy) themselves," he said.

Seals also spoke of liking a plan proposed by Delaware Sen. Joe Biden that would give Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis their own regions.

Footlik said that idea was hopelessly premature because of the rivalries of factions within each of those groups.

He also says the U.S. should put the screws to the Saudis and to others to invest in the rebuilding and stabilization of Iraq.