It is one of the biggest issues on the minds of voters in Iowa – the growing threat of Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
Iowa voter Michael Downey is especially torn by the fall of Ramadi, where U.S. soldiers battled insurgents during the Iraq war.
“The people who fought over there paid a price for that city. They’ve got to be heartbroken today. There are people who are injured or who lost family members," he said. "Today they have to ask the question, was it worth it?”
It is a question Downey knows well. His son Luke is a former U.S. Marine who served several combat deployments to Afghanistan.
“It is a sacrifice, whether it’s your sons or daughters who are in harm's way, the mothers brothers fathers and sisters, they all pay a price too," he said.
Downey and his son Luke attended a forum with former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
Voters here want to know where the candidates stand on sending more ground forces back to Iraq.
"You’re in an area in the United States where a very high percentage of families serve, so sacrifice and sometimes the ultimate sacrifice of losing your life for your country is taken very seriously," said Jeff Danielson, a Democratic Iowa state senator from Cedar Falls.
Danielson, who is also a veteran of the first Gulf War and serves on several Iowa committees for veterans, is running for local re-election next year alongside presidential candidates. He says possible U.S. involvement with places like Iraq and Afghanistan tops the list of concerns voters have discussed with him.
“Foreign policy is one of the reasons people vote for a president, so it's always going to be highly salient," Danielson said. "It’s probably equal to the economy and domestic issues when it comes to thinking about who you are voting for, for president."
Michael Downey is still thinking about who he wants to vote for. But there is one thing he’s looking for in whomever he chooses – someone who can generate bipartisan cooperation.
“A divided nation cannot win a war," he said.
瘋狂英語 英語語法 新概念英語 走遍美國 四級(jí)聽力 英語音標(biāo) 英語入門 發(fā)音 美語 四級(jí) 新東方 七年級(jí) 賴世雄 zero是什么意思杭州市新杰新澤苑英語學(xué)習(xí)交流群
英語在線翻譯 | 關(guān)于我們|網(wǎng)站導(dǎo)航|免責(zé)聲明|意見反饋
英語聽力課堂(pm4x.cn)是公益性質(zhì)的學(xué)英語網(wǎng)站,您可以在線學(xué)習(xí)英語聽力和英語口語等,請(qǐng)幫助我們多多宣傳,若是有其他的咨詢請(qǐng)聯(lián)系gmail:[email protected],謝謝!