SAINT PAUL PIONEER PRESS: "MINNESOTA SOURS ON IRAQ"
The other part of the headline caught our attention: "42 percent now say the war was a bad idea, according to poll, and the issue is looming large in congressional elections." One congressional election the reporters consider is that in the Fighting First:
. . .Declining support for the war has affected President Bush's popularity. And Minnesota's congressional candidates' fate on Election Day may depend on their views on the war.
On Iraq, voters are listening.
[snip]
Democratic candidates are less likely to link terrorism and the war but still expressed some support for staying in Iraq.
Tim Walz, a Democrat running for the 1st District House seat, said the United States should rebuild Iraqi infrastructure to pre-war levels and work with allied forces on security.
"If the evidence suggests that we cannot achieve these milestones, then we owe it to our troops to bring them all home immediately," said Walz, a former Army National Guard member who was stationed in Italy in support of the war in Afghanistan. He is campaigning to unseat Republican Rep. Gil Gutknecht.
Gutknecht, once considered a strong supporter of the war, made national news when he was openly critical of the situation in Iraq after a trip there this summer.
"Things in Baghdad were much worse than we were led to believe," he said in an interview then. He said the United States should reduce the number of Americans working on security issues in Iraq.
Removing Saddam Hussein from Iraq was right, but now tactics need to change and some troops should soon be sent home, he said.
Such nuances may not help Republicans win races. More than 60 percent of voters in the poll said that given the costs and benefits, the Iraq war was not worth fighting.
That sentiment was reflected in approval of Bush's handling of the war: 63 percent of voters disapproved of it while 26 percent approved.
MANKATO FREE PRESS LTE: "WALZ READY TO DEFEND COUNTRY'S CONSTITUTION"
Supporter and fellow teacher J. Scott Urban remembers being in a classroom next to Tim Walz's on September 11, 2001:
Sept. 17 was the 219th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. Born from the revolutionary ideal of universal equality and nurtured by the undaunted idealism and courageous sacrifice of countless generations, our Constitution stands today as the last hope of humankind.
As Election Day, Nov. 7, approaches, we have the opportunity to vote to protect our most sacred Constitutional rights. Freedom, liberty and equality cannot long endure in a nation with warrantless wiretaps, secret detention camps, economic inequality, systematic torture and Orwellian doublespeak.
The time has come to vote for a change.
Over the past 12 years, Rep. Gil Gutknecht has failed to lead us, failed to protect us and failed to inspire us. In your heart, you know Minnesota deserves more than the failed policies of a weak and inept politician.
We need bold, honest and energetic leadership from a person we can trust to represent our Minnesota values in Washington, D.C.
Command Sgt. Major (retired) Tim Walz represents the very best in all of us. As an award-winning educator, dedicated father and honored veteran, Walz has proven himself worthy of our trust.
I know Walz personally. On Sept. 11, 2001, I was teaching United States history in the classroom next to Walz’. I shall never forget the look of fervent patriotism in his eyes and the passionate commitment in his voice as he spoke of defending our nation.
Walz was then — and is now — ready, willing and able to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.
WINONA DAILY NEWS LTE: WALZ AN ADVOCATE FOR SOLDIERS
The letter of support from former DAV national commander Jim Sursely, published in yesterday's Worthington Daily Globe, is printed today in the Winona Daily News.
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