With Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Susan Bysiewicz and Chris Murphy trading jabs over the war in Afghanistan, some were wondering where William Tong, the latest candidate to enter the race, stood on the issue.
Reached this morning, Tong's campaign issued the following comment via email: "It is time that we stand with President Obama and begin the process of ending our 10-year long commitment in Afghanistan starting with a substantial reduction in our front line combat troops, beginning this summer,'' said Tong, a state representative from Stamford.
"I want to see our courageous service men and women come home as soon as possible, and ensure a safe and permanent withdrawal from the region. As Senator, I will work with the President and military leadership to make certain that we do not leave a destabilized Afghanistan that returns to a breeding ground for extremism, threatening our long-term national security. We need to focus on the critical task at hand - safely bringing our troops home from Afghanistan."
And, he added, "making this issue another tiresome line of attack and response in a campaign is not productive."