‘Patience, resolve’ needed in Iraq, Burns says

HELENA – Speaking at a campaign event, Sen. Conrad Burns said the U.S. must show “great patience and resolve” and stay in Iraq even if public support for the war continues to erode.

The Burns campaign has been seeking to draw contrast with Democratic opponent state Sen. Jon Tester on the war in Iraq. Burns, backed at a news conference by veterans who support his re-election effort, said Tester wants to “cut and run.”

Tester has said the country was drawn into Iraq under false pretenses by the president, and believes the U.S. Senate failed to check claims about weapons of mass destruction before backing the Bush administration. He said Iraq is not the real terrorist problem and is distracting the country from more important needs.

Burns defended plans to stay in Iraq as long as it takes, regardless of whether popular support for the war diminishes. Burns supporters at the news conference heckled and hissed at reporters who asked Burns how long he believes the U.S. should remain committed to the war.

“We have to win,” Burns said. “We’re dedicated to winning and can win. America must stand together,” he said. “Our squabbles among us should stop at the water’s edge.”

He said winning the war would be defined by the Iraqi security forces taking over for U.S. forces.

Burns is involved in a tough race against Tester, a farmer from Big Sandy. The race is projected to be the most expensive ever in Montana, with both sides getting a great deal of support from out of state.

The Pentagon recently decided to increase U.S. forces in Iraq, pushing troop levels there to roughly 135,000, dashing hopes among some in the GOP of dropping the figure by tens of thousands by this fall’s congressional campaigns.