Mark Green ducks most big issues, but just loves that war in Iraq

You can pretty much count on Rep. Mark Green to sidestep or swerve to avoid an issue when he knows he's on the opposite side from the voters.

He's had nary a word -- encouraging or discouraging -- to say about President Bush's plan to privatize Social Security accounts. The Bush "reform" plan gets more unpopular by the day, and Mark Green gets quieter.

Green voted with Bush, Tom DeLay, the evangelicals and the pro-lifers against expanding embryonic stem cell research, even though 50 House Republicans voted for the bill, which passed.

But Green reads the papers and the polls, and he knows that a solid majority of Wisconsin voters support stem cell research. So when he was asked about his position on a proposal in the legislature to ban the use of any state money or facilities for embryonic stem cell research, Green didn't have a position. The proposal is very similar to what he supported on the federal level, but no matter. He ain't talking.

Thank God there's the Iraq war, something Green can support without hesitation. He's been an enthusiastic supporter from the start, and even this week, while other Republicans were beginning to express their doubts, Green sent out a "Don't-worry-be-happy" column, based on a recent two-day visit to Iraq.

It was easy to be for the war at the start as the country united behind the troops and the President. It is a little harder now, with the latest polls showing more Americans oppose the war and think it was a mistake.

A resolution, with at least one Republican sponsor, is being introduced in the House, calling for a timetable for withdrawal of US troops. Wisconsin U.S. Senator Russ Feingold will introduce a similar resolution in the Senate today.

Green couches his support for the war in terms of support for the troops and praise for the job they are doing.

Feingold had this to say:

"While I was in Iraq in February, I was able to witness firsthand the truly amazing resolve all of our troops in Iraq. I cannot describe how very proud I am of all of those who serve. It is with that trip and those soldiers in mind that I will introduce a resolution tomorrow that calls on the President to clarify the objectives and timeframe of the current U.S. mission in Iraq, including a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops. And I will work with my colleagues to hold the Administration accountable for meeting our goals and achieving clear standards of success.

We owe our brave servicemen and women a concrete timetable for achieving clear goals, not vague, open-ended commitments. Having a timetable for the transfer of sovereignty and having a timetable for Iraqi elections have resulted in real political and strategic advantages. Having a timetable for the withdrawal of troops should be no different."

So Feingold, too, supports the troops. That is not the question. The question is, do you support the war and the way George W. Bush & Co. is waging it, with no end in sight?

Green may argue, or even believe, that Iraq won't be an issue in the governor's race. And it may not be, on the surface. But it will another in a series of positions he's taken that will help voters decide whether he shares their values, beliefs, and priorities.