Iraq strategies divide 6th congressional rivals

Sixth Congressional District candidates Republican Peter Roskam and Democrat Jill Morgenthaler agree the troop surge is working in Iraq to reduce violence and stabilize the country, but they differ on how and when to bring soldiers home.

Morgenthaler, a Des Plaines resident and retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel who served in Iraq, has supported benchmarks for withdrawal in the past. She also likes presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's plan to remove one to two brigades a month over 16 months.

The Iraqi government's recent recommendation that America come up with a timetable for its exit ties into such a strategy, Morgenthaler said.

"They feel more confident to step up and take over," she said.

Incumbent Roskam, a Wheaton attorney, visited Iraq in 2007 and opposes setting dates for leaving, although he acknowledges American power has reached a limit following the surge.

"There's not much left in the tanks," he said Monday.

Roskam thinks Iraq needs to relieve the U.S. government of some of its financial burden of conducting the war but notes, "We're in a delicate situation. We don't want to be seen as looting the Iraqis for the American people."

As the turmoil in Iraq tapers, Afghanistan is experiencing the opposite, with a rising death toll as top military commanders ask for an increase over the roughly 32,000 Americans currently deployed and equipment.

Morgenthaler, former top state adviser on homeland security, endorses a stepped-up U.S. presence, saying troop levels should be closer to 50,000 "in order not to backslide" and continue progress with military training, creating schools and expanding social services.

Roskam was in Afghanistan in January and said, "I've never seen poverty like I observed there."

He backed Gen. David McKiernan's recommendation that America commit 10,000 to 15,000 more troops, but noted, "It's going to be a very long pull. The key is not to let our allies pivot out."

Some foreign policy experts see Iran as the greatest threat in the Middle East, with its nuclear program and controversial leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Roskam believes the United States and its allies need to exert more pressure on Iran to prevent its "aggressive approach" to nuclear power.

Morgenthaler contended that "we need a lot of diplomatic discussions and we need to re-engage our moderate Muslim allies."

The 6th District includes parts of northeast DuPage and northwest Cook counties.