Last Wednesday, Jan. 7, U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy (R-Minn.) stopped in Kimball. He had just been to Creative Memories and another large corporation in St. Cloud, then came down to the Tri-County News for our annual chat. It was 12:30 p.m. and we headed over to the senior dining site at St. Anne’s Church. Most of the diners had just left, but a few remained to play Euchre. Kennedy introduced himself to those remaining and they talked about cards and sports. Then Kennedy, his assistant and I sat down in the lobby to discuss issues of the day. The issues Kennedy is encouraged by the progress that has been made in Congress on healthcare for the elderly, and strengthening the economy, among other things. But much work lies ahead in the next session. Transportation in Minnesota – specifically improving roads and alleviating traffic snags – is another hot issue for Kennedy. Tax relief for Americans is something Kennedy is proud of. Job creation and economic recovery are critical to America and its citizens. Kennedy, one of a few Certified Public Accountants in Congress, has particular understanding and interest in this area. The situation in Iraq Kennedy and 10 others from Congress traveled to Iraq in August 2003. I asked him about Iraq, and whether what we see and hear in the media accurately reflects what goes on daily in Iraq. As expected, the simple answer is “no.” Kennedy and the Congressional group landed in Baghdad by helicopter and visited several cities in Iraq, including Tikrit, Babylon and Mosul. Kennedy met with soldiers and officers everywhere he went in Iraq. In several locations the group dined with soldiers. What we see and hear in the news is pretty exclusively negative. At the onset of the war, with embedded journalists traveling with the troops, there were several hundred journalists in Iraq. Now, said Kennedy, there are 27, and all of them are in Baghdad. “They respond to emergency radio calls only,” said Kennedy. So all we get are the sensational, explosive events. What we don’t see or hear about is the establishment of local governing bodies in Iraq. As of August, 90 percent of Iraqi towns had councils, and much of the country have provincial elected governing bodies. The Iraqi Governing Council has selected a Cabinet, and is working on a budget and a constitution for the Iraqi government. The country is working toward national free elections. We also hear nothing about U.S. troops providing food and medical aid to Iraqis, or all the work on building Iraq’s infrastructure (water lines, electricity, roads, bridges, etc.). We don’t hear about the Iraqi schools and hospitals back in operation, nor about business carrying on as usual in most parts of Iraq. We hear about occasional helicopter crashes and plane accidents, “but not the hundreds of successful landings and takeoffs all over Iraq every day,” Kennedy said. While in Iraq, Kennedy asked Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Joint Task Force Seven Commander, about all the attacks on U.S. forces. “They are of no strategic significance whatsoever,” was Sanchez’s response to Kennedy. Kennedy went on to explain that before the United States declared war on Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, those in power represented the 15 percent of Iraq’s population who are Sunni Muslims. This 15 percent is concentrated in a triangle that includes Baghdad and Tikrit. Nearly all the attacks on U.S. forces and now “soft targets” occur in this triangle in central Iraq. During his days in Iraq, Kennedy was told that these attacks are intended only for western media, to erode world support of the war, not to impede the work of U.S. and coalition forces. In that sense, they are very effective since that’s all we see from the media in Iraq. Wartime morale After Kennedy’s visit to our troops in Iraq, he does not question the spirits or morale of our service people there. He says they are all committed, professional, and fully prepared to carry out their jobs. While much of the media seems bent on deteriorating wartime morale at home, our service people see the good in what they are doing. They are willing to make needed sacrifices today for a better future. Contacting Kennedy If you would like to see Kennedy’s stands on various issues, review his journal on his Iraq trip, or get in touch with his office, you can visit his very user-friendly Web site at www.mark kennedy.house.gov .
