Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/freshmen-lawmakers-advocate-different-strategies-in-iraq Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Last fall, five newly elected House members discussed their expectations for the 110th Congress. They returned to talk about their views on the Iraq war and actions the House is taking on the situation. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. GWEN IFILL: Last fall, we spoke with five newly elected members of the 110th Congress about what they expected from Washington.Now, eight months later, with the war in Iraq still dominating the debate on Capitol Hill, we check in with them again.We're joined by four of the original five, plus Democrat Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire. Also here are Democrat Tim Walz of Minnesota, Democrat Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, Republican Kevin McCarthy of California, and Republican David Davis of Tennessee.You have all just come from a vote on Capitol Hill in the House on whether to move American — whether to make sure that American bases do not remain permanently in Iraq.I just want to go around the table, starting with you, Mr. Perlmutter, and ask, how did you vote?REP. ED PERLMUTTER (D), Colorado: I voted to not allow them to be permanent. And pretty much everybody in the Congress voted that same way. It was… GWEN IFILL: It was a big vote. REP. ED PERLMUTTER: Yes.REP. DAVID DAVIS (R), Tennessee: I did vote yes today. But the reason I voted yes is, it's already current law. I think we need to make those decisions at a current time, not at a future time. So, it didn't change the law. It's already on the books. GWEN IFILL: You voted for it and why, Carol Shea-Porter?REP. CAROL SHEA-PORTER (D), New Hampshire: Yes, I don't want permanent bases either.REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R), California: I voted for it, but it shows the whole debate of Iraq is more political than it is about finding a solution. GWEN IFILL: In what way? REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY: It's already law. We're trying to run as the generals. And what did it change for the outcome of today finding a solution? There was none. But what did it do? It ran political press back home.REP. TIM WALZ (D), Minnesota: Well, I voted for it. And I disagree a little bit with Kevin on this. I would say the six months here taught me that everything here is a process, not an event. And this is one more step in that process of catching Congress up where 70 percent of the American people are, knowing we need a massive change in the direction in Iraq.And this was another step to make sure our colleagues are accountable to their voters back home to move us in that direction.