Rep. Walz encourages public discourse on Afghanistan

First District DFL Congressman Tim Walz said Americans should be as engaged in the discussion about the war in Afghanistan as they are in health care reform.

Walz said he plans to hold town hall meetings before making up his mind on whether to support the military's calls for more troops. He said he still believes the war in Iraq was a distraction from the more important mission of attacking terror havens in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Walz calls discussions about America's military expeditions abroad "critically important."

"We spent $900 billion in the last eight years, we've sent over 4,000 of our warriors that didn't return, we've got another 20,000 severely wounded and this is a choice that this nation's going to have to think very carefully about," Walz said.

Walz returned from his latest fact-finding trip to Afghanistan earlier this month. He said winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people are key to making gains there.