Vermont GOP Candidates Buck Trend On Afghanistan Policy

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(Host) In many parts of the country, U.S. policy in Afghanistan has divided Democrats and Republicans running for Congress.

But that’s not quite the case in Vermont.

As VPR’s Bob Kinzel reports, two of the three GOP candidates for Congress agree with Democrat Peter Welch that it’s time to withdraw U.S. troops.

(Kinzel) Late last week, the U.S. House had three key votes on funding the war in Afghanistan. The votes ranged from ending all funding as soon as possible to setting a clear timetable to begin the withdrawal of American troops by next summer.

Congressman Peter Welch was one of about 25 House members who voted for all three amendments – none of them got enough votes to pass.  

Welch says he fundamentally disagrees with President Obama’s nation building strategy in Afghanistan because members of the Taliban have shifted their base of operations to Pakistan.

(Welch) "When you have a government that basically has feudal institutions where corruption is organic, it’s not incidental to the economy and where the threat to America is not from a nation state – in Afghanistan, it’s dispersed and decentralized – that a nation building strategy is not what is ultimately going to keep America secure."

(Kinzel) Welch says he does support a more targeted use of the military in the fight against terrorism.

(Welch) "It’s specific attacks, where we have intelligence that there’s an enemy or there’s a training camp – we have a right to defend ourselves and must."

(Kinzel) There are 3 Republicans seeking their Party’s nomination for the U.S. House.  Former radio talk show host Paul Beaudry has been courting the vote of the Tea Party movement in Vermont.  While he disagrees with Welch about setting a specific timetable for withdrawing troops, he agrees that it’s time to leave.

(Beaudry) "It’s turning into somewhat of a quagmire, in my opinion. I would like to see us give the government of Afghanistan an ultimatum – tell them that we have liberated their country, that we can provide them with some support and assistance, but they’re going to have to step up to the plate, take care of their own country, their own security."

(Kinzel) Springfield businessman Keith Stern says he doesn’t think the situation in Afghanistan poses a national security threat to this country. He’s more concerned about efforts to strengthen the Mexican border.

(Stern) "Terrorists can come in – the drug situation, they can bring drugs in – drugs are more damaging to our way of life than the threat of the al-quaeda in Afghanistan."

(Kinzel) John Mitchell is a retired businessman from Rutland. He’s the one GOP candidate who thinks Welch has taken the wrong position on the war in Afghanistan.

(Mitchell) "My strategy would be, first of all, not to withdraw funds from troops that are on the ground. Secondly, it would be to rely on the civilian leaders of the military to devise a policy that pursues our national interest and then trust the military to implement it and pursue it without being micro managed by a committee of Congressmen."

(Kinzel) The winner of the GOP primary will face Welch and a group of minor party and independent candidates in November’s General Election.

For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.

 

 

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