Conversation with…Rep. Chris Shays
Congressman returns from Mideast impressed by Iraqis
By Ricky Greenfield

Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut's Fourth Congressional District recently returned from his ninth trip to Iraq. The Ledger sat down with him last week at a meeting in Fairfield where he discussed his trip with a group of Jewish community leaders. Below are excerpts of the discussion.

Q. Congressman Shays, you've been to this region of late more than any other member of Congress. Could you give us some background as to why you're so driven to be there, an admittedly dangerous place, so often?

A. When I go to the Middle East, I usually go outside of the military umbrella, and the State Department is more often than not annoyed with me. I travel under the aegis of non-profit groups like Save the Children and others who are working hard to improve the quality of life in the region.  What I see when I do this is an Iraq that our troops see and experience and this allows me to honestly advocate to the White House, Pentagon and State Department on how we can improve what we're doing on the ground. 

Q. You say that each trip is a bit different. Could you tell us more?

A. On my first trip to the area in April 2003, I was able to urge Congress to get more Americans who speak Arabic into that theatre. The second trip defined the growing need for money and specific resources for economic development. Another trip made me very aware of the need for better armor for our Humvees and other vehicles, something that wasn't being talked about at the time in the U.S.
But there are a few constants on every trip.  I always come back impressed with what our people do there and how proud we should all be of them. Our military men and women do what we ask in very dangerous and difficult conditions. I'm also constantly amazed at what a tough people the Iraqis are.  We don't appreciate or realize all they've been through and how they are facing up to their responsibilities now. 

Q. Congressman, you continually go into an Iraq that is a very dangerous place. How do you deal with it?

A. My wife Betsi constantly reminds me of that. I was a Conscientious Objector during the Vietnam period, and served in the Peace Corps in the Fiji Islands. That experience underscored for me the need for personal contacts. I have to be there alongside the troops to experience what they do and see what they see. The Defense Department looks at me as a security problem, but I feel strongly that we are doing the right thing in Iraq and I'm driven to see Congress helps the administration get it right. 

Q. What stands out in your mind after so many visits? 

A. A difficult question and I can't say enough how proud we should all be of what our troops are doing, but something else that stands out is the huge pride Iraqis have in what they are doing. I was there for the election and by the way, if there was one thing that stunned the terrorists in Iraq and around the region, it was that election, and I was observing the voters at a polling place… I went over to a poll worker and asked if I could color my finger in the purple ink she was using to mark people who had voted. She was taken aback, saying I couldn't because I wasn't an Iraqi. That symbolism— symbols are everything in that part of the world— explains why so many Iraqis are risking their lives to be trained to serve in their own armed forces and peace-keeping services by the tens of thousands. They are moving towards the day when the burden of securing Iraq is on their shoulders, not ours. Their main fear is not that we are going to stay, but that we are going to leave too quickly. 

 Q You are not troubled by the delay in the Constitution the Iraqis were supposed to have completed last week? 

A. Not at all. What they've said to us is ‘we're not ready yet.' We can't be arrogant. Our Constitution said blacks were considered  three-fifths a person and a slave. Our Constitution took us 11 years to construct and after failing with the Articles of Confederation, we immediately had to add 10 amendments to our final product just to get it passed.  They'll work it out. 

Q. Can you wrap this up with some of your strongest impressions? Anything on Israel's views about our involvement in Iraq?

A. On many of my trips to Iraq, I also visit Israel. I  haven't met one Israeli leader who didn't feel that our being in Iraq wasn't justified and beneficial. We had to remove Saddam and as a result today, there is no one paying terrorist bomber families $25,000 when their sons and daughters blow up Israelis. Syrian troops are out of Beirut and that wouldn't be the case if we didn't act in Iraq. As Natan Sharansky so effectively told President Bush, there can be no real peace without democracy and we are doing what we can to move that part of the world in that direction. 

Q: Thank you congressman, and please travel safely.

See related story, page 18