Unbelievable. I had to make sure this wasn't pulled from the front page of the Onion. Congresscritter candidate Duncan Bremer says that to "solve" the problems in the Middle East, all we need to do is convert all the Muslims to Evangelical Christianity. Wow, that's so simple, why didn't I think of that? I'm sure all the Muslims in Islamabad will be lining up to get their bibles any minute now ...
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]
All 6 in GOP primary back U.S. efforts in Iraq
The military's impact on Colorado Springs helps shape views of those vying to replace Rep. Joel Hefley.
[font size="1"]By Erin Emery
Denver Post Staff Writer[/font]
Colorado Springs - Each of the six Republicans vying to become the next representative of Colorado's 5th Congressional District has listed the war on terror and homeland security as their top priority.
Those views are shaped both by personal experiences and by the military presence in the district - more than 30,000 uniformed personnel work at five installations and almost 70,000 other people receive paychecks because of defense dollars, the Greater Colorado Springs Area Chamber of Commerce has said.
Two of the candidates - Lionel Rivera and Bentley Rayburn - have served in the military. John Anderson works for defense giant Lockheed Martin. Duncan Bremer's three sons are in the Air Force. Jeff Crank worked to save Fort Carson from closure, and Doug Lam born sponsored legislation as a state senator that would have exempted active military personnel from state income tax.
The candidates are all vying in the Tuesday primary for the seat held for 20 years by Rep. Joel Hefley, who is retiring. All of the candidates support the war in Iraq and stand behind President Bush's decision to send troops there. None supports calls for a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq.
Bremer, a former El Paso County commissioner, said the war against fanatical fundamentalist Islam should be fought on two fronts: militarily and religiously.
"There's an aspect of it that people are not willing to talk about, and I am - its religious basis. ... [span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Our best hope is that we actually convert them away from their religious fanatical basis," Bremer said.[/span]
He said that would best be accomplished by missionaries of various faiths.
"[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]I'd prefer that they get converted to evangelical Christianity, but my point is that there is a religious battleground and our government is disabled from fighting on that battleground," Bremer said.[/span]
Rayburn, who retired April 1 as a major general in the Air Force, agrees that the war is a battle against Islamic fascism and says America must be patient.
"I've seen the video of young Iraqis ... being taught their nursery rhymes and the nursery rhymes are of one or two varieties: 'All Jews are pigs and ought to die' or 'I want to die for Allah,"' Rayburn said. "It harkens back to the days of the Hitler Youth, and when young children are brought up hating this way, and that's all they know really, then you can tell that this is going to be a multigenerational battle."
Iraq, he said, is the keystone to rooting out terrorism in the Middle East.
Colorado Springs Mayor Lionel Rivera, who served 7 1/2 years in the Army, retiring as a captain, said he thinks the Army needs more special forces.
"I think having a larger special operations force would do us a lot of good. I think the Army is moving in that direction and I certainly would champion that cause. I'm also a proponent of increasing the number of ground forces and that means beefing up the Army and Marines," he said.
Increasing the military's ranks, Rivera said, will reduce the frequency of deployments for soldiers and provide a better deterrent.
Jeff Crank, a former aide to Hefley and a former Chamber of Commerce vice president, said he is tired of Congress waffling on Iraq.
"Obviously, America committed. It wasn't the president that committed the troops to war - he went to Congress and asked for a resolution of support. That Congress gave it to him and the Congress has an obligation to stand by the president, the mission and the troops," he said.
The idea that some politicians have suggested a deadline for withdrawal from Iraq is preposterous, Crank said.
"First of all, our deadline should be victory. ... It shouldn't be anything less than that because the sacrifice that we've made in blood and treasure to this point will all go to the wayside if we don't stay the course," Crank said.
[br style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"][span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"](WHAT THE F*CK DOES THAT MEAN?? "[span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"]First of all, our deadline should be victory.[/span]" That makes no sense at all!!)[/span]
Anderson, a former El Paso County sheriff, said he supports the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"Until we have stability and peace in the Middle East, we will not have peace around the world. So this, no doubt, is going to be a prolonged engagement," he said.
Lamborn said he believes Iraq is a central front in the war.
"I believe President Bush made the right decision and we need to back him and see this thing through," he said. "And if democracy can take hold in Iraq and other trouble spots in the Mideast, that will be a benefit for the whole region and help win the war on terror because it will reduce some of the repression and frustration that helps give rise to terrorism. It would let more moderate voices be heard instead of radical voices."
Lamborn said he defers to the president, the chiefs of staff and the secretary of defense to determine whether the military has enough troops.
"I'm not going to second- guess them," Lamborn said.
The winner of Tuesday's primary will face Democrat Jay Fawcett, a retired Air Force veteran, in the November general election.
[a href="vny!://www.denverpost.com/ci_4139193?source=rss"]vny!://www.denverpost.com/ci_4139193?source=rss[/a]
