Vets in Congress walk fine line on ending Iraq war

Back home, antiwar voters voice frustration over lack of a plan for speedy withdrawal.

By Gordon Lubold | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the August 23, 2007 edition

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SWARTHMORE, Pa. - When it comes to ending the war in Iraq, Toni Bailey thought she had her own white knight in Congress. Joe Sestak, a retired Navy admiral, won his House seat last year as a Democrat who opposed the war.

But eight months later, Ms. Bailey is angry. "Where is the ire of our Congress who, last election, had a mandate to end the occupation and bring our troops home?" the retired schoolteacher asked at a town-hall meeting here with Representative Sestak. "What will it take for the Congress of the United States of America to do the will of the people?"

It's a question on the minds of many voters frustrated with the war – especially those who elected military veterans who said they opposed the conflict. Now these veterans, newly minted as congressmen, are looking such tough crowds in the eye and explaining that withdrawal from Iraq isn't as simple as all that. The US exit must be carried out responsibly, Sestak says – and over the course of at least 15 months.

And Democrats simply don't have the votes – at least not yet – to begin withdrawal. "Many are aggrieved that this Congress has been unsuccessful in trying to end this war," Sestak said after the meeting. "As a representative, I have to listen, but it's also my job as a congressman ... to use my judgment."

The public response to compromise

Sestak's 15-months-or-more position is at odds with many Democrats who want a swifter withdrawal, though an increasing number of them recognize that it will take months to bring troops out safely. Ultimately, Sestak says, it's about political compromise – bringing together the "Titans" of the two political parties to fix on a sane but acceptable policy to withdraw troops from Iraq.

His position on withdrawal may make good political sense. The 7th district tilts decidedly Republican – nearly 60 percent – and is about 31 percent Democrat. With no political experience but an enviable fundraising machine, Sestak beat Rep. Curt Weldon, the firebrand Republican who occupied the seat for 20 years. Many in his district, as in the country at large, support withdrawal from Iraq, but also want to win the war there.

Sestak spent 31 years in the Navy and served on the National Security Council under President Clinton before retiring in 2005. He is now the senior-most retired military officer serving in Congress.

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