The Journal

Issue date: 4/14/05 Section: News

Media Credit: RYAN RUMBERGER / The Journal Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., shares an optimistic view of Iraq´s future with a Webster University audience April 11.

After a brief trip to Iraq March 3 to 8, Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., told a Webster University audience April 11 not to "forget the mistakes" the United States made going to war. Carnhan said he was pleased with the way Iraq was progressing after the January elections, but made it clear he wanted to see the number of U.S. troops in Iraq decrease within the next year.

Carnahan also said that on his trip he heard from U.S. troops who said they were receiving adequate body and equipment armor.

"Most of the troops we met with believed that they were finally - and I say finally - getting the equipment that they needed," Carnahan said.

Junior Eric Fey, a political science major sitting in the audience, asked Carnahan if the United States construction of bases in Iraq means soldiers are going to be in the region for extended periods of time, similar to the United States' long-term presence in countries like Germany and Japan after World War II. Carnahan responded by saying that the majority of U.S. troops should be back home soon.

"There's going to be a lot of pressure from members of Congress like myself, from citizens back home and from families who have loved ones, to bring our troops home," Carnahan said. "There's concern that we have some basic level of troop force there, but as the Iraqis build up their own police force, I don't see any reason why we can't bring the bulk of our troops back home."

Carnahan spoke to about 80 people during the hour-long speech, and while he kept his talk - accented by a slide show of him meeting with troops and diplomats - focused on the rebuilding of Iraq, he did drive home his party's stance on the need to reform intelligence gathering.

"In hindsight, the intelligence that was used in beginning [the Iraq war] was flawed," Carnahan said. "We need an administration that looks at the facts as they are and not how they want them to be - 'results-oriented intelligence' is what it's been called. I think it's not a good thing to operate on."

Webster professor Dan Hellinger brought his politics class to Carnahan's talk. Hellinger said prior to the speech that many congressmen who travel on military trips only see what the military wants them to see.

Continued...

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