Fifth District Candidates Clash on War, Priorities

During one of their last debates before Election Day, Fifth Congressional District candidates clashed on war strategies and their priorities in Congress if they’re elected.

Republican Alan Fine, Independent Tammy Lee and Democrat Keith Ellison participated in a televised, half an hour debate on WCCO Saturday night.

Asked their views on dividing Iraq into Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions in order to suspend violence, Fine said such plan might have some merits, while Lee dodged the question to say that the U.S. can’t afford to be the global police.

Ellison, known for his anti-war views, said that the future of Iraq should be determined by Iraqis. But he introduced a fresh plan that would replace American troops with regional troops.

“Peace-keeping forces from the region, who speak [Arabic] and have some cultural sensitivity, could be helpful in Iraq,