Democratic congressional candidate Ed Perlmutter on Wednesday criticized his opponent’s call for more troops to stabilize Iraq and renewed his call for the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
At a news conference where he was flanked by veterans, Perlmutter said the Iraq war was the most important issue in his race against Republican Rick O’Donnell for the 7th Congressional District seat currently held by GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez.
“How does he plan to pay for these troops when we are running short on just repairing equipment at this time, and does he really plan to send those troops to Iraq when we’ve seen a clear failure of civilian leadership?” Perlmutter asked.
O’Donnell, in a press release issued later in the day, said Perlmutter wanted to “cut and run from Iraq” and wanted to declare “defeat and retreat in Iraq.”
Perlmutter, speaking from the Retired Enlisted Association Chapter No. 39 building in Aurora, said he wants to redeploy some of the troops currently in Iraq to other bases in the Middle East by the spring of 2008, transfer security there to Iraqi military and police and establish a multinational reconstruction effort.
Perlmutter’s attack came a day after O’Donnell had harshly criticized the president’s handling of Iraq during during a debate.
Despite the criticism of Bush, O’Don nell continued to push his position that more troops are needed in Iraq, saying there are 1.4 million Americans in uniform across the globe and 98,000 in Europe alone.
“We need to move some of these to temporarily get the right troop strength so we win in Iraq, and then we can bring them all home,” O’Donnell said in the release.
Amy Walter, who analyzes U.S. House races for the Cook Political Report, said Perlmutter was shifting the race to fertile political ground for Democrats in the swing congressional district.
“Each candidate is trying to fight the race on terrain in which they are most comfortable,” Walter said. “And for Perl mutter, the issue that is driving the unpopularity of the president and the frustration with the direction of the country is Iraq.”
Perlmutter also highlighted O’Don nell’s statement Tuesday that the military’s generals as well as President Bush and the secretary of defense had failed to show leadership in the Iraq war.
“I disagree with Mr. O’Donnell’s attack that the generals and the military are to blame for what’s happened in Iraq,” Perlmutter said. “It’s the civilian leadership that has failed. It is the secretary of defense. It is the White House.”
If elected, Perlmutter said, he will push for the resignation of Rumsfeld; O’Donnell has said Bush should have the right to select his own secretary of defense.
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com.
