On Sunday night, I hosted a public forum on the war in Afghanistan, at the Pitkin Community Center in Wethersfield, to follow up on the forum I held earlier this year after visiting the country.

Before the President unveils his plan for Afghanistan, I believe it was important to hear from my constituents directly on this critical issue.

There are essential questions that must be answered in assessing our next steps, including: what is the responsibility of Afghanistan’s neighbors and our allies, what is a realistic goal for the region, and what will it cost to reach that goal.

I believe in our troops in the region and their abilities despite the burdens that have been placed on them.  We owe it to them to develop an end-game strategy in Afghanistan with clearly defined goals including a way to bring them home safely.

Public forums are great ways to learn about the opinions of my constituents on issues as important as the war in Afghanistan. I was asked great questions from those in attendance, here are some examples:

-What policy is actually achievable?

-What affect will the War in Afghanistan have on our economy?

I appreciate all of the questions and comments I received at the forum. If you would like to ask me a question on this and other issues, please feel free to contact my office by email either by calling my office or writing me an email.

I thank everyone that attended the forum, and I look forward to our next public forum on Health Care this Sunday at Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted.

I hope to see you there.