Utah candidates speak out on Iraq

October is turning into one of the deadliest months in Iraq for U.S. troops this year — and the omnipresent question being debated in Washington is, "What do we do now?"

For Utah's 2006 congressional candidates, the answer to that question may depend on how they respond to the matter of whether the United States should have invaded Iraq in the first place.

A recent Deseret Morning News questionnaire asked candidates to tackle both issues.

Democratic Senate candidate Pete Ashdown didn't see an imminent threat in 2003 to justify invading Iraq. He added that the alternatives toward achieving a stable democracy in Iraq that were available in 2003 no longer exist. Ashdown said the United States should ask Iraq for a referendum on whether U.S. troops should stay or go.

"The best experts on Iraq are the Iraqi people," he said. "If they want us to leave, we should respect that."

Incumbent Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he favored the invasion, pointing to a regime "in violation of international law" that had "ties to international terrorism." Hatch said further justification could be found with a government that refused to identify the whereabouts of its "claimed large quantities of weapons of mass destruction."

Hatch said he supports President Bush's efforts to complete efforts to develop a "secure constitutional government."

House Republican Rob Bishop, who represents the 1st District, said he wasn't in Congress when it authorized military action in Iraq, but he added that there was a "compelling legal case for action." Bishop said the focus now should be on whether the military has what it needs to complete its mission.

Bishop said the military has made "incredible" progress in Iraq and that he will rely on the military to come up with an exit strategy.

Earlier this month, the Army chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, said the Army plans to keep its current level of soldiers in Iraq until 2010. Army soldiers total 120,000 of the 141,000 U.S. troops currently in Iraq.

Bishop's challenger, Steve Olsen, said he had supported "getting tough with Saddam" while recognizing the "tremendous" risks of war. Olsen added that war in Iraq has led to instability in the region.

Olsen wants the United States to continue helping Iraq with logistics, air cover, intelligence and training. But he also called for Iraqis to take over patrolling their streets and defending their country.

District 2 Republican candidate LaVar Christensen said he supported the U.S. actions in Iraq.

"Finish the job and be victorious," Christensen said. Mourn the soldiers who have been killed, he added, but "honor them by successfully completing the mission to which they were so devoted."