Tough queries for Gov. Ritter

DENVER - Gov. Bill Ritter got more than he bargained for when he entertained questions Wednesday from 30 Iraqi teenagers touring the United States.

Speaking to the students, the Democratic governor explained that he believes the U.S. invasion of Iraq was preemptive and that America’s presence has “greatly jeopardized” security in the country.

Do you know the real situation over there? the students asked.

The students, whose identities are being kept secret for fear of retaliation when they return home, told Ritter the last thing they want is the immediate exit of U.S. forces — a view the governor said he’s also heard from Jordanian officials.

Saying unguarded cities and towns are far more dangerous than they’ve been described in the American media, the students peppered Ritter with questions about whether he would pull U.S. troops out if it meant more Iraqi civilians would get killed.

“It’s a bad situation. It’s a very bad situation,” one boy told the governor. “We need someone to help us.”

Near the end of about 10 minutes of questions, Ritter told the students: “I’m not a person who is trying to defend the position of the United States going to Iraq . . . but I think innocent Iraqis deserve a chance at peace and safety.”

The General Assembly passed a resolution earlier this year calling for an end to the current buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Because it was a resolution rather than a bill, Ritter did not have to sign or veto it.

After the meeting with Ritter at the state Capitol, several of the Iraqi teenagers said regardless of how they felt about the initial U.S. invasion, the troops are needed now.

Militias most often target villages where U.S. troops are not stationed, several said.

One boy said the U.S. needs to concentrate on closing off Iraq’s borders so that terrorists can’t enter the country.

Another boy said America must make the Iraqi government be more honest with the people and explain where the country’s money and resources are going.

“I don’t think any of them want the troops to withdraw,” said 14-year-old Rachel Sabey, whose family is one of several in the Denver area hosting the students while they are in Colorado learning about local government.

Judging Ritter’s answers, one girl said that foreign policy wasn’t his job, and a boy added that Ritter, like most American leaders, only knows what he hears from major media sources.

“They know the upper level of the situation. They don’t know in deep,” the boy said.

The group will depart soon for Virginia and Washington, D.C., where it will study civics.

The trip to Colorado was organized through the Baghdad-Denver Region Partnership, a program of Sister Cities International, and funded largely by the U.S. State Department.

CONTACT THE WRITER: (303)837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com