Student debate focuses almost solely on Iraq war

Student politicos defended their respective candidates' positions on the war in Iraq last night in a debate that only briefly touched on domestic issues.

The Penn Democrats and the College Republicans answered many questions from the floor about President George W. Bush's controversial foreign policy. Over 50 people attended the event, held in Huntsman Hall.

David Copley, chairman of the Pennsylvania State Federation of College Republicans, set the aggressive tone of the debate in his opening remarks, repeating standard Republican claims that Kerry is too indecisive to be commander in chief.

"I respect Senator Kerry for serving honorably in Vietnam," the Wharton senior said. "He's gone off the rails after that. ... I'd love to talk about Kerry's position on the Iraq war, but I don't know what it is this week."

Penn Democrats President Rich Eisenberg also leveled typical accusations against Bush, claiming he squandered post-Sept. 11 international support and prematurely declared the war's end.

"American credibility is low," he said. "John Kerry will bring fresh ideas and fresh faces to the White House. ... He will employ the full arsenal of American ideas."

Democrats said that the invasion of Iraq had done little to combat terrorism, and actually impeded the effort to capture Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda.

"Right now, the war we're in is not a war on" terror or al Qaeda, College Democrats Political Outreach Director Dan De Rosa said. "Al Qaeda had no real connection to Iraq."

The Republicans dismissed this claim, noting that Saddam Hussein had long harbored terrorists, most notably Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has been responsible for a number of kidnappings and subsequent beheadings.

"We're involved in a war against terrorists, wherever they may be," College Republicans Outreach Chairman Mike Toto said. "John Kerry does not want to go after them."

Kerry and some military commentators have noted that more troops may be needed in Iraq, and should have been there in the first place. The panelists discussed whether a draft may be looming.

"John Kerry has said we need 40,000 more troops in Iraq," Toto said. "You're going to need a draft." He added that Bush was against the notion and that he would instead withdraw troops from places where they were not needed.

Yet the Democrats said that, in one sense, a draft had already started.

"There's a backdoor draft of national guards and reservists," De Rosa said. "They're not meant to be [in Iraq] for that length of time. ... Kerry wishes to internationalize forces in Iraq."

Some audience members asked questions about other issues, namely abortion and gay marriage. Democrats accused Bush of pandering to conservatives.

"They're using a wedge issue," Penn Democrats Campus Outreach Director Jared Katseff said. "We see that Bush is openly hostile to gays."

Republicans noted that Vice President Dick Cheney opposed the constitutional amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage, and the federal government was intervening purely to stop overactive judges.

"I think the idea that they hate gays is ridiculous," Copley said. "But the majority of American people ... are against it."

Audience members were pleased with the level of discussion.

"I thought they both did a good job," College freshman Alex Flamm said. "The questions tended to be very pointed, so that they had to sort of defend themselves first, then respond ... but both sides had good speakers."

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