16th District on the Military
By: Rachel Havey
Updated: October 4, 2012
Leading up to Election Day, we're finding out where the local candidates stand on the issues. In the 16th District Congressional Race Republican Adam Kinzinger faces Democrat Wanda Rohl.
We're asking the candidates a question regarding the military. The U.S. has suffered its 2000th casualty in Afghanistan. Should the U.S. pull out sooner than the planned exit in 2014?
Adam Kinzinger:
"President Bush implemented a search strategy. that strategy didn't have a timeline on it. And in fact, what you saw was immediately the opposition began to crumble because they know they can never defeat us on the battlefield. they only hope to defeat our will. And, in Afghanistan when the President came out and said we're serging, but we're going to be out in 2014, he gave a timeline to the enemy. And, I think Afghanistan is a winable fight. The problem is you haven't seen a President that's telling the American people what's our interest there, and why we're there. I think pulling out before the deadline would be a drastic mistake and I think we need to react to situtations on the ground and not artificial timelines."
Wanda Rohl:
"Yeah. very much so. I think we've lost focus. i got to thinking about it as the fact that my son is a Marine Corp recruit. He'll be graduating in October, and possible going over to a country that doesn't want us there anymore. We've been there for 11 years, and if you think in retrospect he was probably sitting down and watching Sponge Bob when this war started, and now he's going into a military that could possibly be sent overseas. We need to come home. We should not be the world's police. We're spending more than 2 billion dollars a week in a forgin country on roads and schools and infostructure there when w're not taking care of people at home. We need to have a strong miltary yes, but one with focus and using our resources wisely."
