US Rep. decries war-like mindset

U.S. Congressman John Hostettler denounced the country's war-like mentality and hinted at possible repercussions of the country's involvement in Iraq in the IU College Republicans' first meeting of the year Tuesday.\n"In the past, America has been passive to a fault," he said. "Now Congress has effectively punted their responsibility to declare war to the president."\nHostettler said the consequences of this war are too much for America to become involved. In particular, a pre-emptive strike could have several drawbacks.\n"If we go to war with Iraq, it will set a precedent that could echo through history," Hostettler said. "America will lose some of its moral high ground if we become an aggressor nation."\nOver the course of an hour, Congressman Hostettler, serving in his fourth term representing Indiana's 8th District, answered questions from the crowd in the West State Room in the Indiana Memorial Union ranging from the potential war in Iraq to the workings of income taxes.\nIn the past, Hostettler has served in leadership roles in conservative organizations within the House of Representatives, including as chairman of the Congressional Family Caucus and on the steering committee of the Republican Study Committee. For IU College Republicans, Hostettler is the embodiment of what a congressman should be.\n"He is an old fashioned conservative," said junior Angel Rivera, the group's president. "He's small government and pro-life, and he's a very independent thinker. Anyone who works for him will tell you that no one tells him how to vote."\nBy not accepting any campaign contributions from groups who hold political interests, Hostettler can afford to be a free thinker.\n"He votes strictly for what is best for the 8th district." Rivera said.\nHostettler voted against the resolution that gave President George W. Bush the power to declare war on Iraq, a course of action few Republicans repeated. \nHostettler also illustrated that if India and Pakistan were on the brink of war, the U.S., trying to hold peace talks between them, would have put itself in a precarious situation. \n"Those nations would need only look 'across the table' to see an America that has just gone halfway around the world to initiate conflict," Hostettler said. "With their own enemy testing nuclear missiles in their respective backyards, we would not have a moral leg to stand on."\nThe Indiana congressman described other potential problems if a war in Iraq occurs, including the limits to U.S. military power. \n"Nine active duty divisions were required to remove Saddam from Kuwait in 1991," he said. "Right now we have 10 active duty divisions."\nHostettler also spoke at length about state issues, including the Indiana budget crisis and the futures of college students. \n"Indiana has not fostered an economic climate that can compete with other states," Hostettler said. "We have lost 120,000 jobs that should be there."\nHostettler is concerned about young people who have a vested interest in the state. Indiana, being one of 12 states which have lost jobs in the past four years, is in danger of losing increasing numbers to the "brain drain," a pseudonym given to describe the departure of college students from the state due to a sluggish job market. This prospect troubles Hostettler, a lifetime Indiana native who graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 1983.\n"When my 16-year-old son graduates from college when he is 23, I don't know if the same opportunities I had in Indiana will be there for him," Hostettler said.\nYouth remain a major focus for the congressman, who has a history of engaging young people in politics since his first campaign in 1994. A 23-year-old even ran his latest campaign.\n"John Hostettler believes in young people," Rivera said. "Many (IU College Republicans) have been involved in his campaigns."\nSophomore Exton Cordingley said he agrees with many of Hostettler's views.\n"He summed up the precise problems in Iraq and North Korea well," he said.\nHostettler believes that IU students, like Cordingley, can play a major role in politics.\n"The College Republicans at IU have always been an oasis for me," he said. "Young people represent our future. You just need to give them a good reason to get involved"