Lamborn sees hope in Iraq visit

On a deadly day in Iraq, Rep. Doug Lamborn said he saw plenty there Tuesday to fuel his optimism.

During a one-day congressional tour of the war zone, the firstterm Republican met with top military leaders in Baghdad and lunched with Marines in Fallujah, 70 miles south of the capital.

Although insurgent suicide bombers killed as many as 175 Iraqis in attacks Tuesday, Lamborn said evidence abounds that military tactics and diplomatic efforts are bearing fruit.

“Progress is being made, but it does not happen overnight,” Lamborn said. “If we want to win this war, we can.”

Lamborn, who traveled in Iraq by helicopter and a heavily armored military rig designed to resist mines, met with officials at Baghdad International Airport; in the Green Zone, a fortified compound where American officials are running the war; and in Fallujah, a former insurgent stronghold that was largely pacified by a massive offensive in 2004.

Speaking by telephone from Kuwait, Lamborn said the quick trip armed him for brewing battles in the House this fall over whether America should withdraw its forces from the strife-torn country.

“There is going to be a struggle, a back-and-forth battle going on when we reconvene,” he said.

House Republicans have been President Bush’s staunchest backers on the war, and Lamborn, whose district includes five military installations, is no exception.

He said briefings on progress in Iraq’s western Anbar province convinced him that the country can be pacified.

In one example, he said the province has cut attacks from a high of 1,300 per month last year to 300 in July.

A key, he said, is engaging Sunni groups and encouraging them to turn away from terrorism.

Lamborn worries about rising Iranian influence in the region and said he wants to see more evidence of diplomatic work by the Bush administration to engage neighboring nations, including Jordan and Syria.