Back a troop pullout? Not in this town

MONUMENT, COLO. — There's a lot of talk in Congress these days about the American people demanding withdrawal from Iraq.

But no such call echoes from this small town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.

Those who support a troop pullout are, for the most part, too uncertain and disheartened to make the case with much enthusiasm. Many others have concluded that the United States must not leave, no matter how many car bombs explode in Baghdad or how many flag-draped coffins come home.

"As Thomas Jefferson said: Sometimes you have to spill the blood of patriots to further the cause of liberty," said Michael Siehien, 50, an Army veteran.

About an hour south of Denver, Monument (population 2,500) has an artsy, almost New Age, ambience; the historic downtown meanders across broad streets lined with galleries, boutiques and storefront spas offering European facials and $30 pedicures.

The town is a magnet for military families; it's near an Army post, an Air Force base and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. But it doesn't go in for the patriotic displays popular in many other small towns. There are no yellow ribbons, no "Support Our Troops" banners. The local paper covers potholes, not war policy.

In 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush won more than 75% of the vote here. But the unease about bringing the troops home extends beyond loyal Republicans.

Conversations with Monument voters this week uncovered widespread wariness -- sometimes anger -- about Democratic calls for a pullout. Opposition to the war is at a record high across the country; a recent Gallup/USA Today poll shows 71% of Americans supporting a withdrawal over the next nine months. An informal survey here, however, found the reverse: 70% of the more than two dozen voters interviewed said they believed U.S. forces should stay.

"Gee, I'd love to have the troops come home. But I don't want to do it at the expense of wisdom," said Betty Osgood, 80, a lifelong Democrat.

"If we leave, think of all those innocent children and women in Iraq who will be harmed," she said.

Osgood seemed on the verge of tears. "I just feel sad, terribly sad about it all."

Down the street at his hair salon, Ron Herrera, 51, launched into a fusillade against President Bush and the war. So he'd support a pullout? Herrera shook his head.

"We have no right to leave and watch innocent people die, people who are nothing but pawns," he said.