Former Air Force pilot and current challenger of Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona’s 9th Congressional district, Lieutenant Colonel (ret) Wendy Rogers is questioning the wisdom of withholding judgment on ISIS. While Congressman Trent Franks recently revealed that ISIS is in Mexico, Sinema has said that she would wait to make a decision on whether force should be used against ISIS in Iraq.
“ISIS is a major threat to our national security, and as a retired Lieutenant Colonel, I can tell you this requires a strong response. Reports indicate that ISIS might attempt to infiltrate our borders, and we need a representative in Congress who will make the right decisions on national defense,” said Wendy Rogers.
“Kyrsten Sinema has the wrong priorities. When asked for her position on ISIS, she responded with the typical D.C. answer – that she requested a briefing and would wait to make a decision before hearing all the facts, which is code for ‘I’m going to wait to see what party leadership says.’ National security requires a strong resolve to defend the safety of our nation, and that is something that Kyrsten Sinema does not have,” Rogers continued.
“Just after the horrific events of September 11, 2001, Sinema joined the Arizona Alliance for Peaceful Justice, a group which called military force ‘an inappropriate response to terrorism.’ She personally wrote that she and the group were ‘opposed to the use of violence and weapons in all situations’ and ‘believe in world disarmament.’ In 2006, she wrote to someone that she “[has] always and will always continue to oppose war in all its forms.’ Does this sound like the record of someone who will be strong on national defense? I don’t think so.”
“I believe that Senator McCain is right about the need for a strong response to ISIS, and I also agree that the Obama plan to deal with ISIS will not do enough to keep America safe. As he said, half measures are not enough to get the job done, and because of President Obama’s half measure-centric approach to foreign policy and national security our nation is at risk of attacks by ISIS and other aggressors. This requires a strong response. When Congress is asked to vote on authorizing the use of force against ISIS, Arizona deserves a Representative who will not just toe the party line. We cannot continue the Obama strategy of showing weakness to those who wish us harm.”
Arizona Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick said of the President’s ISIS/ISIL speech, “Our nation has the strongest defense and intelligence operations in the world, and they must be unleashed on ISIL. I am in favor of U.S. airstrikes supporting our partner forces on the ground and building a broad coalition to destroy ISIL. While I remain wary of deploying U.S. ground troops, I call on the president and top military strategists to consult with Congress if military escalation becomes necessary.”