|
Blunt visits troops in Iraq
Springfield News-Leader
Blunt visits troops in Iraq
By Ryan Slight
After a visit to Iraq last week, U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt brought back a story of holiday spirit.
"I saw Christmas trees in the Saddam palaces that are now being used as office space. And Christmas decorations in the dining halls," Blunt recalled Monday upon returning to his Springfield office.
"And I'm sure virtually every soldier I saw would rather be home for Christmas, but they all also understood what they were doing and felt it was important."
Blunt, R-7th, and other representatives traveled to the Middle East to visit troops and assess preparations for Iraqi and Palestinian elections next month. He visited Baghdad for the first time on Wednesday after trips to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman, Jordan.
While some lawmakers had traveled to Iraq earlier, Blunt said he felt his expertise as a former state and county election official was most beneficial now.
Blunt said he thought the elections will likely have a credible result after meeting with election commissioners, whom he felt were working to make the process as open as possible.
"Not necessarily a perfect result," he said. "The elections in El Salvador 20 years ago when 30 percent of the country were controlled by guerrillas weren't perfect. The first elections in South Africa weren't perfect.
"What really matters is if the people of the country accept the result as the first huge step toward democracy," he said.
Though the election is near, Iraqi police are still "some time away" from taking complete responsibility for the country's security, the representative said. The country has about 117,000 Iraqi security officers — a figure officials hope to more than double by July 2006, Blunt said.
The security forces are still dealing with incidents of violence. On Sunday, car bombs set off by insurgents killed at least 60 people in two Iraqi cities.
Blunt's delegation included Republican representatives Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Democratic House members Ben Cardin and Steny Hoyer of Maryland. Blunt dined with Missouri soldiers with the First Calvary Division while the others met with troops from their states.
According to a release from Cardin's office, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi told the group that "mistakes have been made" during the conflict in Iraq, and noted the insurgency's strength should have been anticipated.
Cardin said in a written statement that the United States should work to correct mistakes "by bringing in foreign partners and being more aggressive in the training of Iraq security forces."
While the Maryland representative had voted against giving President George W. Bush the authority to go to war, he said the country cannot abandon the mission.
"If we fail to achieve our objectives in Iraq, then the country will become a safe haven for terrorists and we risk the stability of the Middle East region," Cardin said.
Blunt lauded U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — who has been criticized over a lack of armored vehicles in Iraq — for doing a "good job under difficult circumstances."
The military initially had not expected insurgents to attack vehicles "behind the lines" in Iraq, he said, but it has been improving the vehicles' armor in response.
Before flying to Iraq, Blunt and other House members met with Palestinian Minister Saeb Erekat in Ramallah regarding the Jan. 9 Palestinian election. They also visited Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Israel to discuss security concerns during the election.
Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., also visited Iraq and the Middle East earlier this month. He was optimistic about the prospect of democracy in Iraq, and said improved military tactics, such as more armored vehicles, would help protect troops against attacks. U.S. efforts to stem resistance "are going in the right direction but not as fast as we would like," Talent said.
For security reasons, Blunt's delegation did not stay overnight in Iraq last week. They entered Baghdad unannounced on a large transport plane before traveling by helicopter from the city's airport to the "Green Zone," a guarded area where Americans stay.
The representative said spirits were high among Missouri soldiers in the Iraqi capital.
"I have yet to see a soldier who didn't think that what we were doing was worthwhile, and that the vast majority of the populace of the country embraces what we are doing," Blunt said. "And that's what I saw again with these troops."
Why don't positive stories such as this one get more coverage?!!
...and by positive I mean soldiers in high spirits, though they are so far from home.
|
Linear Mode
