Election '06
ON THE COVER
Senate Faceoff
The two major candidates
for U.S. Senate respond to a
Jewish News questionnaire.
Alan Hitsky
Associate Editor
ebbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, won the U.S. Senate
seat from incumbent Spencer Abraham in an
upset in 2000. Now, Oakland County Sheriff Mike
Bouchard, R-Birmingham, is trying to win back the seat for
the Republicans.
Stabenow is a former state representative and state sena-
tor who won two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bouchard is a former state Senate majority leader.
The Jewish News asked the two to answer the following
questions:
• Do you support U.S. foreign aid for Israel?
Should it be increased, decreased, kept the same?
• What is your view of the recent war between Israel and
Hezbollah?
• What should the United States' role be in Iraq?
What should the U.S. do about Iran?
• How do you feel about Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's ruling on
U.S. surveillance of domestic-overseas phone calls?
• What is your position on abortion?
What is your position on stem-cell research?
• What can you do in the U.S. Senate to help Michigan's econ-
omy?
• Do you have ties to the Detroit Jewish community?
Do you have ties to the Detroit Arab community?
How do you represent both?
• What should the U.S. do about immigration?
And What about border protection?
The candidates' answers appear in edited form. To see their complete,
uncut answers, go to JNonline.us .
Do you support U.S.
foreign aid for Israel?
Should it be increased,
decreased, kept the
same?
BOUCHARD I believe that
the U.S. should continue to sup-
port the democracy in Israel. It
is our ally in the Middle East and
stands with us against terrorist
organizations.
Before I would vote for a blan-
ket increase of federal funding to
any sector, I would want to see a
full accounting of how tax dollars
are being spent.
STABENOW I have strongly
supported foreign assistance to
Israel every year since I have been
in Congress. Each year, I evalu-
ate the level of funding to see if it
meets our mutual security needs.
What is your view of
the recent war between
Israel and Hezbollah?
BOUCHARD The recent con-
flict between Israel and the ter-
rorist group Hezbollah was due,
in part, to the fact that the United
Nations did not properly enforce
U.N. Resolution 1559, which
called for disarming terrorist
groups like Hezbollah.
STABENOW I cosponsored
a resolution that declared our
support for Israel's right of
self-defense and Israel's right to
take appropriate action to deter
aggression by terrorist groups
and their state sponsors.
What should the United
States' role be in Iraq?
What should the U.S. do
about Iran?
BOUCHARD Winning the war
on terror and making sure that
Iraq is safe and secure to prevent
14
October 12 2006
Sheriff Mike Bouchard
Sen. Debbie Stabenow
it from becoming a haven for ter-
rorists is not something we can
— or should, in my estimation
— put a price on. Mistakes have
been made concerning Iraq. The
administration has admitted
that. Now we must move forward.
The U.S. needs to take a hard-
line stance towards Iran's efforts
to develop a nuclear program. I
favor a carrot-stick approach that
makes use of sanctions should
Iran continue its pursuit of a
nuclear program.
BOUCHARD As a career law
enforcement officer, I have great
respect for both the Constitution
and the Bill of Rights. We need to
give our law enforcement agen-
cies the ability to protect us, and
weakening our existing programs
is not the way to do so.
STABENOW We need a strong
national defense and must win
the war on terror, which is why
I supported, our military actions
in Afghanistan to hold those who
attacked us on 9-11 account-
able. The war in Iraq has been
a detour in the war on terror. I
have consistently voted to make
sure that our soldiers in the field
have the resources they need to
do their jobs and protect them-
selves.
The United States must do
everything it can to prevent Iran
from developing nuclear weap-
ons. The United Nations Security
Council should consider tough
sanctions against Iran.
How do you feel about
Judge Anna Diggs
Taylor's ruling on U.S.
surveillance of domes-
tic-overseas phone
calls?
STABENOW Federal law
gives the president broad powers
to conduct secret surveillance
by going to a special Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance (FISA)
Court for a warrant. I feel this
court provides the critical pow-
ers needed to combat terrorism
while providing an important
check against potential abuses.
What is your position
on abortion? What is
your position on stem-
cell research?
BOUCHARD I am pro-life. I
support continued research with
regards to adult and umbilical
cord stem cells. Many medical
advances have come about from
the studies of both of these types
of stem cells and we have already
seen therapeutic applications in
humans from both.
STABENOW I am pro-choice.
Abortion is a personal and
very difficult medical decision
for women, and I do not feel it
appropriate for government to
intrude in such a personal mat-
ter.