Bob Barr and Barry Loudermilk squared off Saturday over the plight of Iraq, gay marriage and President Barack Obama in their first debate of the Republican primary runoff for Georgia’s 11th Congressional District.
A former congressman, Barr said he would support a U.S. military strike on the Sunni extremist militants who have captured large portions of northern Iraq and are advancing toward Baghdad.
“I would advise [President Obama] to use the air strike capacity that we have — both man and drone capability — in this situation,” Barr told the audience at Kennesaw State University.
“The targets are clear. There is very little danger — with these folks marching down the highway — of collateral damage as they say — killing innocent civilians. [The militants] provide a perfect target. We have the weapons to do it for surgical airstrikes and drone strikes.”
Loudermilk, a former state lawmaker, expressed caution.
“If there is a clear and present danger that Iraq poses, we must intervene on behalf of the safety and security of the United States,” he said, noting his son serves in the U.S. military and could be deployed. “But if it does not, then we should not be engaged. I can’t answer that question right now.”
Loudermilk also bemoaned the state of Afghanistan.
“We should have learned our lesson from the Soviets,” he said. “That is a war that I think we are not going to win. We never had a clear objective… I do think without a clear objective, it is time to pull our troops back out of Afghanistan. There are much more hostile enemies we are facing today.”
Georgia’s 11th District Republican Party sponsored the event. Randy Evans, Georgia’s Committeeman for the National Republican Committee, and Joe Kirby, the editorial page editor of the Marietta Daily Journal, served on a panel asking the candidates questions.
Barr and Loudermilk were also asked about the importance of the debate over gay marriage. Both candidates said they are focusing on other issues.
“The overwhelming majority of the people in America agree,” Loudermilk said, “we should define what marriage is — that marriage — legally defined — is between a man and a woman.”
Barr said: “I have to tell you I have not heard one person who has said to me, ‘Bob, the most pressing issue is whether the presidential candidate in 2016 will champion gay marriage’ or whatever. It is not something that is on people’s minds as we look to the congressional elections in 2014.”
Barr and Loudermilk also said they support inquiring into whether Obama should be impeached, though Loudermilk predicted nothing would come of it with Democrats controlling the Senate.
“The problem is if [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid is still in control of the Senate, it will be a wasted exercise,” Loudermilk said. “The threats to this nation are real and we have to prioritize what we are going to do. Yes, we should proceed with impeachment hearings. But we have to look down the road. Are we going to waste our time when the Senate is just going to kick it back?”
Moments later, Barr responded: “Despite Barry worrying about whether the Senate would go along with an inquiry of impeachment, the time has come to try to do everything we can to hold this president and his administration accountable…”
Barr and Loudermilk were forced into a runoff last month when neither captured more than 50 percent of the vote in a six-way primary race for the Republican nomination. They are vying to replace Republican U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey, who fell short in his campaign for Saxby Chambliss’ U.S. Senate seat. The 11th District covers all of Bartow and Cherokee counties and parts of Cobb and Fulton counties.
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