Kleeb, Raimondo prefer diplomacy with Iran

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BY DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

With the faint sound of war drums stirring in Washington, Democratic Senate candidates Scott Kleeb and Tony Raimondo called Saturday for diplomatic engagement with Iran.

“I am much more in favor of substantial dialogue, working with our allies,” rather than a U.S. military attack, Raimondo said during a Lincoln debate.

Although Iran represents “a potential threat,” he said, “we have moved in a unilateral manner much too frequently.”

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Tony Raimondo (left) and Scott Kleeb shake hands after their debate at the State Theatre in Lincoln on Saturday. (William Lauer)

Tony Raimondo (left) and Scott Kleeb shake hands after their debate at the State Theatre in Lincoln on Saturday. (William Lauer)

Kleeb said he believes there are “ways to exert diplomatic pressure to achieve our goals” if the United States works in concert with regional allies.

“We need to engage again,” he said. 

Iran’s huge population of young people has displayed an openness to engagement, he said.

Raimondo and Kleeb agreed more than they disagreed during an hourlong debate arranged by the Lancaster County Democratic Party.

The two leading candidates in the May 13 Democratic Senate primary race answered questions from a media panel as they sat together on the stage of the State Theatre while a glittering disco ball revolved slowly at the ceiling above their heads.

Nearly 200 persons sat in on the televised debate.

The Iran question was posed at the end of a week when Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a news conference the Pentagon is planning for “potential military courses of action” against Iraq’s neighbor.

Two weeks ago, President Bush cited Iran as a primary reason he would halt further withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq this summer.

The administration increasingly has warned about Iranian influence in supplying weapons used to kill U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said this week he believes Iran is “hell-bent on acquiring nuclear weapons.”

On Iraq, both Kleeb and Raimondo repeated their support for phased, but not precipitate, withdrawal of U.S. combat troops.  In a TV ad, Raimondo has said the U.S. attack on Iraq was a mistake.

Presented with a hot domestic topic, neither Democratic candidate supported U.S. Supreme Court reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized most abortions.

With the question posed in terms of whether the candidates would vote to confirm a court justice based on the nominee’s position on Roe v. Wade, both Kleeb and Raimondo said the nominee’s entire judicial philosophy would be the key issue.

“There should not be a litmus test,” Kleeb said. Rather, a judge’s understanding of the Constitution should be considered, he said.

“Abortion is a tragedy,” Kleeb said. The remedy, he said, is to work together to provide programs and support that will help “reduce the number of tragedies.”

Raimondo said he’s pro-life and opposes abortion except to save the life of the mother.

However, he said, “I see no reason to reverse Roe v. Wade as a high priority” now that it is established law.

“I don’t want more government inside our family bedrooms,” he said.

On economic issues, Raimondo said the stimulus tax rebate approved by Congress represents “a short-term package” for dealing with the recession.

“We need a lot more discipline on the budget and more focus on creating jobs,” he said. Increased funding for infrastructure development would be a substantial job creation tool, he said.

Kleeb said Congress needs to make long-term investments in “green collar jobs and the new energy economy,” as well as in supporting education.

“And we need to target tax cuts to make sure small businesses have a chance to compete,” he said.

Kleeb, the 2006 Democratic congressional nominee in western and central Nebraska’s 3rd District, teaches history at Hastings College.

Raimondo is chairman of Behlen Manufacturing Co., in Columbus.

Other Democrats in the race to replace Sen. Chuck Hagel are Larry Marvin and James Wilson. Running on the Republican ticket are Mike Johanns and Pat Flynn. Kelly Rosberg of the Nebraska Party and Steve Larrick of the Green Party also are candidates.

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.