politics

This is the full text of Amy Klobuchar’s answers to the questions Big Question readers sent to him March 21, seeking clarification and follow-ups to some parts of her Iraq position.

First question: You believe that the removal of the vast majority of the U.S. troops by the end of 2007 is an appropriate goal. Suppose you are in the Senate then, and suppose that President Bush has not met this goal. Do you believe there is anything a senator could do and that you would do, short of holding a hearing and asking the joint chiefs for a plan that they cannot implement without the approval of their commander-in-chief, to bring about withdrawal that you seek?

Klobuchar: As a Senator, I will continue to advocate for the safe withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. Since I believe that Democrats will take back the Senate in 2006, I believe that the Senate will not only call for a hearing, but actually hold one. If the President won't do it, I will be working to elect someone who will.

Second: A reader commends you for framing your Iraq position in the context of an overall national security paper. But he questions whether "relitigating the origins of Operation Iraqi Freedom" is such a pressing priority as the place it has in your position paper.

Klobuchar: As I talk with young men and women all over the state, I continue to believe that accountability for the run-up to this war is incredibly important. It's the brave sons and daughters and classmates and neighbors of families in small towns throughout the state who have been called to serve in Iraq.

As Tim Walz, a candidate for Congress who is running in southern Minnesota reminds me every day, it is the young men and women from towns like Morris and Worthington who have been sent to war by a President who didn't have a plan to secure the peace and bring them home.

These Americans need to trust in the integrity of their government and the mission they're serving. I believe this is a high priority and I will continue to demand that the administration account for their actions that have brought us to this point.

Question two and a half: I (that’s Eric Black speaking) would combine that question with a question that Rep. Kennedy said I should have asked of you and Mr. Bell: What is your strategy for winning the war on terror and keeping America safe?

Klobuchar: I believe that an obvious first step is to invest in our homeland security. For example, even three years after September 11, many of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission have not been followed.

The 9/11 Commission gave our port security a D grade, our critical infrastructure system received a D, and our first responder system received an F. I find it shocking that police and firefighters in many large cities still cannot communicate reliably in a major crisis. We need to support our first responders and provide them with the tools and equipment they need to protect our infrastructure, including electronic and radiation screening in our ports, better identification verification for transportation workers, improved intelligence-gathering and heightened airport security.

We also need to restore America's role as the world's moral compass. We need to use our unique power and influence to protect our national interests both at home and abroad, while also engaging in debate.

Last question: Finally, and this is a quote from a reader on the blog:

Here's a question I would ask all the candidates: how do we get rid of the hatred in our politics based on how we got into this war? And I'd also suggest that a question for this attempted blog would be, why do these kinds of discussions so easily and quickly get back into rehashing the rationales? Why does it seem so important? I'm not saying it isn't important; maybe it is. I myself have engaged in these discussions. But maybe it would be useful if we could hash out what it specifically is each side wants the other to acknowledge. (Not that there's only two sides, I guess; although actually in a way I think there are, on this question.)

Klobuchar: As a U.S. Senator, I will work with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to find common ground on the issues that matter most to Americans. In terms of this war, the sacrifices made by our troops are shared by Democrats, Republicans and independents alike. As I've said before, the American people want leaders they can trust, and priorities based not on what's right and what's left, but based on what's right and what's wrong.

The way to go beyond the distrust is to have a full accounting for the lead-up to the war. No American's patriotism should be questioned for asking why we went to war in Iraq, and how we're going to get out.