She wants troops home from Afghanistan sooner than later. He wants the job “finished.”
Israel bombing Iran? On that one, they agree: No second-guessing an ally.
You get to vote for one of them on Nov. 6 as your next representative in the U.S. Congress.
Who more closely matches you on foreign policy? If you’ve got two minutes, come along on a voter speed date to find out.
She’s Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat who has represented this area in Congress for 22 years.
He’s Wayne Winsley, a motivational speaker and former radio talk-show host who’s running as a Republican to seek to unseat her.
Like federal candidates around the country, neither DeLauro nor Winsley is putting foreign policy front and center in this campaign. It’s the economy, smartypants. And health care. Jobs. Taxes. The environment. The two candidates emphasize those issues, on which they sharply disagree.
But the next Congress will face momentous decisions about America’s role in the world amid turbulence in the Middle East, between the violent postscripts to Arab Spring to the standoff over Iran’s reported quest to build a nuclear weapon.
So, as part of a series of stories offering voters speed dates on issues, the Independent asked DeLauro and Winsley about foreign policy recently — she in her Elm Street office, he a half-block away at the offices the Independent shares with the Spanish-language newspaper La Voz Hispana.
On some issues — most notably Israel and Iran — they appeared to have more common ground than differences. On others, like the scheduled 2014 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, they did differ. In the interview, Winsley offered careful positions; he noted several times that he would like to know more about some issues through the confidential briefings Congressmen receive before weighing in definitively. DeLauro spoke from the perspective of having voted on foreign policy issues since 1991. Winsley noted his status as a vet; he also made sure not to overstate it: “I served two tours aboard the carrier USS Enterprise ‘82 to ‘86,” he said. “I am not a combat veteran. I always make the distinction between myself and some of my comrades in arms. While I was proud to take my turn on the wall, it was quiet on my watch, or relatively so.”
Check out their answers below to see who stands where you stand.
1. Should We Speed Up The Withdrawal Of Troops From Afghanistan, Proceed With The Current Plan, Or Stay Longer?
Paul Bass Photos
• Winsley (pictured above at right): The president’s wrong to pull out troops by a stated 2014 deadline: “I think that my impulse again as a veteran is to stay until we complete the mission.”
• DeLauro (at left above): Troops should come home sooner than the scheduled 2014 final pull-out: “I have very very serious concerns about this strategic agreement that we are looking at that would keep [some other] troops there until 2024. I am opposed to that. … I think we can move out before that in an orderly fashion, and that is what I am for. Moving out of Afghanistan as quickly as possibly now.”
2. What Lessons Can We Draw From The Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan?
• Winsley: “America has to stop fighting their wars based on how they look on television. The last time we really fought a war based on principle really? World War II. I hearken back to the words of Colin Powell. When he said going into Iraq, ‘The idea of victory is to create a situation where you can impose your will on the target.’ And we didn’t do that. That’s why you had such an insurgency.” Winsley was asked if he considers the Vietnam War to have been a mistake. His response: “I was 10. … I wouldn’t call it a mistake. I think that what is a mistake that that is probably where we really began to allow our politicians to dictate the military actions based on how it looks back home.”
• DeLauro: We need to find other ways to combat terrorism. She voted against the Iraq war, which she called a “war of choice.” “I think that left us open with regard to the issue of terrorism in Afghanistan. I think we do have to address terrorism. I’m not always sure, and I’m not a military expert, but I think we cannot win militarily in Afghanistan. So I think we have to look at other ways.”
3. Should The U.S. Intervene Militarily In Syria?
• DeLauro said all other options should be explored instead. “I don’t want to see troops deployed to Syria. … We are dealing with both intelligence and non-lethal assistance we are providing.”
• Winsley: “Absolute last resort. As someone who has served in uniform, I understand the need for a strong defense and strong foreign policy. However, I do not always agree with presidents on either side of the aisle as far as intervening and playing the world’s policeman.” Asked under what circumstances he’d vote to send troops, he replied: “In order to give a real answer to that, I would actually have to have access to the intelligence and the kind of information that a sitting Congressman would have.”
4. What If [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad Uses Chemical Weapons On His Own People?
• Winsley: “Yes. At that point it’s a humanitarian issue.”
• DeLauro: “What I won’t do is to deal with the realm of speculation. I believe the president has said that changes the nature of what we will do.”
5. What If Israel Bombs Iran?
• DeLauro said she would stand by Israel.
• Winsley said he would stand by Israel: “Under no circumstances should we allow Iran to become a nuclear power. … I’m a supporter of Israel. I think that we have one true ally in that part of the world, and it’s Israel.
6. Should the U.S. Reinstitute A Draft, As Proposed By U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel?
• Winsley: No.
• DeLauro: No.
Just getting started? In the box below you can go on a longer issues speed date with DeLauro & Winsley — as well as with the candidates for president and U.S. president. The quiz was prepared by an organization called ElectNext.
Previous installments of this series:
