OBERWEIS MADE UP CHARGES

FACT

OBERWEIS: “Bill Foster’s negative ad is wrong, and he’s hiding his real position.”

Oberweis: troops will need to remain in Iraq for 10 years or more. Oberweis said that least some troops will need to remain in Iraq for 10 years or more as Iraqis start taking over responsibilityfor their country, arguing “that’s the right approach.” [Chicago Daily Herald, 8/26/07]

OBERWEIS: “But that’s not surprising. Bill Foster wants to cut off funding for our troops, and raise the white flag. That’s extreme. No matter what you think of the war, we all agree we need to support our troops.”

Foster supports bipartisan solutions to the war in Iraq. Foster has clearly stated, “I give my full support to the efforts of bipartisan groups in Congress that are attempting to use all the powers allowed by our Constitution to shake some sense into the Bush administration on Iraq…Whether the troops come home by applying pressure to Bush administration, by the installation of a president with new ideas, or by the election of veto-proof majorities in both houses of Congress- the troops will come home.” [http://www.foster08.com/2007/12/the_war_in_iraq.html]

Retired U.S. Colonel Foster has the right approach: Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Don Cassiday endorsed Foster, saying, “The greatest and most important support we can give our troops is to bring them home from this ill-advised war.” He added that he was “not speaking as a retired Colonel, but as a retired Republican.” Cassiday also said, “I have been a Republican all of my adult life. For the last 20 years, I have proudly supported Denny Hastert as our Congressman. In the current race to replace Denny, however, my conscience drives me to support Democrat Bill Foster.” [http://www.foster08.com/2008/02/lifelong_republ.html]

OBERWEIS: “General Petraeus’ strategy is working, and we’ve already begun a gradual withdrawal. I’m Jim Oberweis, and I approve this message, because I’ll never turn my back on our troops.”

Robert Gates: Troop withdrawal to be paused for “up to several months.” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that when the U.S. troop contingent in Iraq drops from the current 158,000 to about 130,000 in July, it could remain at that level into the fall. He said as he toured a U.S. post in southern Baghdad, “A brief period of consolidation and evaluation probably does make sense.” The pause, which could last up to several months, would be designed to ensure that the smaller U.S. footprint in Iraq doesn’t embolden insurgents to reignite the civil war that ripped the country apart in 2006 and the first half of 2007. [Time, 2/11/08]