Walz goes after Gutknecht on Iraq

Posted at 8:17 AM on July 20, 2006 by Mike Mulcahy

This got pushed aside in all the Entenza stuff the last few days, but a debate about a major issue has actually broken out in the 1st District congressional race. Here's how the AP reported what Rep. Gil Gutknecht had to say on a conference call after he returned from Iraq earlier this week:

"The United States can do so much to help them, but in the end, this is their country, and it's about their future," he said.

"And we have been training the Iraqis, and they are stepping up, and they are leading the fight in many of the areas of the country now."

He said it would be a mistake to send more troops to secure Baghdad.

"What we need to be doing right now is starting to withdraw some of the Americans, and that will force the Iraqis to step up and take responsibility, as they have in the northern parts of the country, in the Kurdish region," Gutknecht said.

"Sending more Americans right now I think would send the message to the Iraqis that they're not responsible for their own future. We have to make sure that they understand that they are."

But Gutknecht rejected a call made by some Democrats for a timetable for withdrawal.

"I think we're going to have a military presence there for some time to come - in part to protect the Iraqis from outside intervention," he said.

But he added: "I think it's time to take off the training wheels of this bicycle. And we have to allow the Iraqis, as our children do sometimes when they're learning to ride that bicycle - they may fall, they may stumble - but we need to help them get up and get on that bicycle again."

And here's the latest from the Tim Walz campaign:

(MANKATO) – Returning from Iraq, Congressman Gil Gutknecht did an about face and promptly called for a partial removal of US troops from the region. Gutknecht’s opponent, retired Command Sgt. Major Tim Walz said while he is pleased that Gutknecht is finally willing to discuss the issue, he is alarmed that Gutknecht’s ill-conceived plan will put the American troops left behind in even greater danger than they are today.

Walz, a retired National Guard Command Sgt. Major and 24-year veteran of the Army Naitonal Guard believes Gutknecht is simply reacting to political pressure and polling data.

“As someone with extensive training in combat techniques, I know that unless we’ve reduced the insurgent violence, removing part but not all of our soldiers is a foolish tactical option. By redeploying only some of our troops, Congressman Gutknecht leaves those still in Iraq more vulnerable to continuing attacks,” said Walz.

“For the last 18 months I’ve been talking about my two-fold plan for Iraq. Historical evidence from Bosnia shows that if we rebuild the infrastructure of civil society, violence rates will drop. It’s important that we get sewage, drinkable water and electricity all back to pre-war levels. Second, we need to ask the Jordanians, Kuwatis, Egyptians and other Arab peoples to be involved in a regional security force. A plan that includes measurable milestones and increased involvement from the Arab world will ensure that we are able to bring American troops home as quickly as possible without further jeopardizing their safety,” said Walz.

Gutknecht has a history of jeopardizing the health and safety of American troops. Gutknecht has repeatedly opposed expanding TRICARE to Guard and Reserve soldiers, providing temporary exemption to the bankruptcy bill for soldiers recently back from Iraq, adding additional funding to PTSD and prosthetic programs, and providing small bonuses for soldiers serving abroad.

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