MONTEVIDEO -- U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., and his Republican opponent Michael Barrett engaged Wednesday in what they termed a "spirited' debate that saw them differ sharply on the war in Iraq, immigration and the Patriot Act.
Peterson, Minnesota's 7th District congressman, told a good-sized crowd at a candidate forum Wednesday evening in Montevideo that while he supports the American troops in Iraq "100 percent," he now views his vote for the war as a "mistake."
"It was a mistake, and I would vote against it today, knowing what I know today," Peterson said.
He said the United States can't continue to be "muddling around like we are."
It would be unpopular, but he said the U.S. should double the troop numbers in Iraq to get the job done right. He added that he would prefer to station U.S. troops around the perimeter of the country.
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He also said the best idea he's heard on solving the war situation was a suggestion to let the Iraqis vote on whether U.S. troops should stay. He'd honor a vote for withdrawal, adding that he believes that is how Iraqis would vote.
Challenger Barrett said Peterson's willingness to station troops around the country's perimeter reflects the Democratic Party's "cut and run" strategy toward Iraq.
"Now (the Democrats) are trying to do the same thing in Iraq" as they did in Vietnam, said Barrett, a Long Prairie pharmacist making his first run for Congress.
Barrett blamed the decisions leading the U.S. into Iraq on poor intelligence resulting from what he alleged was President Jimmy Carter's "decimation" of our human intelligence gathering capabilities.
Peterson countered that blaming the war on Jimmy Carter was "ridiculous."
Their differences on other policy matters were every bit as sharp. Barrett charged that Peterson's vote against the Patriot Act -- anti-terrorism legislation passed after 9/11 -- harmed U.S. security needs. He claimed that Peterson expressed his distrust of law enforcement in a letter to a constituent.
Peterson, who pointed out that he served on the House intelligence committee at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks, said his vote against the act had nothing to do with distrust of local law enforcement. "Incompetence on the part of the FBI caused us to miss that," he said of the Sept. 11 attacks.
"The Patriot Act would not have changed anything on 9/11," he said.
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The two candidates are equally divided over immigration issues. Barrett said his wife is an immigrant who came to the U.S. "the right way." He called for immigration laws and enforcement that would focus on keeping employers from hiring illegal immigrants.
"There would be no need to round up 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants," he said. "They will deport themselves."
Barrett accused Peterson of favoring amnesty for immigrants by co-authoring recent legislation. It allows immigrant farm workers to obtain residency status if they have worked in the country for six years and paid Social Security taxes.
Peterson acknowledged that the bill would allow many immigrant workers to eventually complete the steps for citizenship, but he defended the bill as addressing the reality of the situation.
West Coast agriculture is dependent on immigrant farm workers. Fruits and vegetables in California are not being harvested because growers cannot obtain workers, he said. Due to recent actions against illegal immigrants, West Coast growers could find only 40 applicants for 5,000 jobs, despite an expensive advertising campaign for workers.
Peterson said the country risked economic collapse if it were to deport 12 million to 20 million illegal immigrants.
