Still a war foe, Ellison sees some progress in trip to Iraq

WASHINGTON - Rep. Keith Ellison headed home from a weekend trip to Iraq on Monday describing cooperation among Iraqi police, local communities, U.S. soldiers and Muslim imams, and a "general sense of calm."

Ellison said his position against the war has not changed but he returned from Iraq with both praise and criticism for a complicated situation.

One of the most ardent critics of the war in Congress, the Minnesota Democrat did not mention immediate withdrawal during a news teleconference upon leaving Iraq. Instead, he touted some U.S. successes while blasting U.S. leaders for taking the nation into war in the first place.

The Fifth District freshman praised progress in once war-torn Anbar Province, spoke positively of meetings with the military, but spoke out against an "open-ended commitment."

Ellison said his personal opinion about the war in its beginning stages and his current position on the conflict "doesn't really matter." He said that there are 150,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq and he is intent on minimizing injury and loss of life.

"The question is, what do we do now?" he asked during a conference call from Ramstein Air Base in western Germany. "Always now. We have to deal with now."This trip was about, number one, trying to see, feel, hear, experience what our soldiers are dealing with on a daily basis and get some idea on how we go forward," Ellison said. "I'm focusing on what do we do now that we're in this situation and how do we get out in the safest, most responsible way, and that's what I'm focused on."

Ellison -- who was briefed by Gen. David Petraeus, the leader of U.S. forces -- said he still believes that the United States should never have invaded Iraq. He said Congress should maintain a high level of accountability by instituting deadlines and benchmarks -- something he voted for in the House of Representatives last week.

"I would say there has been no change in his position in Iraq," said Rick Jauert, Ellison's communications director. "There has been absolutely no change on getting out of Iraq."

When in Iraq, Ellison broke with the six-person delegation to meet with two Muslim imams in Ramadi. He said the central Iraqi city -- once a focal point of the insurgency -- was calm and he felt a sense of respect toward U.S. troops. The visit is somewhat rare for congressional delegates who are usually kept to the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.

The two imams told Ellison they were concerned about Al-Qaida eroding the image of Islam around the world and invited the first Muslim member of Congress to work with them to improve this perception.

Ellison also spoke of progress in Iraq.

"The Iraqi police are partnering with the tribal leadership and the religious leadership," he said. "They're not trying to just bomb people into submission. What they're doing is respecting the people, giving the people some control of their own lives."

The success and relative peace in Ramadi, Ellison said, was due to a partnership between the military, the Iraqi police and religious leaders, saying the "hearts and minds" mission is "absolutely essential" to succeed.

He added, "I don't want to overplay it, I mean there were no flowers and clapping and no parade but there was a general level of respect and calm that I thought was good."

Complexity and balance

When campaigning last year, Ellison made immediate troop withdrawal a cornerstone, promising to "use peace as my guiding principle." In a policy statement for the Star Tribune's Voter's Guide, Ellison said he wanted "troops out of Iraq now."

Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, said Ellison's statements appear to be a major repositioning in policy.

"It's one thing to run as a candidate. Now that he's in office and visited Iraq, he now realizes the complexity of everyone who wrestles with the issue of pulling out [which could] create a vacuum that would lead to blood-letting," Jacobs said.

Steven Schier, a political science professor at Carleton College, said Ellison's comments could draw ire in his strongly antiwar district.

"I think part of his appeal as a candidate was his very emphatic opposition to the war," Schier said. "Now that has been altered somewhat, it seems. I'm sure there will be a reaction."

Polly Mann, the founder of Women Against Military Madness, said she supports Ellison's antiwar stance and but believes his statements were designed to strike a delicate political balance.

"These are words that people use to obfuscate," Mann said. "They don't deliberately do it but they don't tell you anything."

Jake Sherman • 202-408-2723 • j sherman@startribune.com