GOP Worried About Iraq's Role at Polls
ME: Battleground state - MIN
story.news.yahoo.com
By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican ally of President Bush (news - web sites), says Iraq (news - web sites) is "a mess" and voters are rattled. He ought to know: He's attending two funerals this week of servicemen killed in the Persian Gulf nation.
AP Photo
"People are becoming unnerved by it," said Pawlenty, who also is co-chairman of Bush's state campaign. "Minnesota communities are strong and tough, but people do want to know, 'What's the end game here?'"
Pawlenty discussed the political implications of Iraq hours after attending the Tuesday funeral of Cpl. Tyler Fey of Eden Prairie, Minn., who was killed April 4 in Iraq's Al Anbar province. Two other soldiers from Minnesota died in Iraq last week.
At Fey's funeral, his brother, Ryan, told hundreds of mourners, "I have so much anger for the politicians in Washington." Their policies "sent my brother on a second tour of Iraq after I thought he'd done his part in the initial invasion," Fey said.
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Excerpt:
But questions persist. Several undecided voters in this key state — Democrat Al Gore (news - web sites) narrowly won Minnesota in 2000 — said they're troubled by events in Iraq.
Amanda Svobodny, a suburban mother who voted for Bush in 2000, said she regrets her choice.
"I'm going to vote Democrat in this election," said the Maple Grove, Minn., resident. "I don't think we were ever made aware of what's going on in Iraq. His administration has not told the truth."
Another young mother from Maple Grove, a city full of ticket-splitters, said she once favored the Iraq war. Now, Michele Rapinac thinks "it was a big mistake to trust him." |
