Progress Illinois

In her recent appearance on Jeff's Berkowitz' "Public Affairs," 4th District congressional hopeful Col. Jill Morgenthaler displayed a refreshingly strong grasp of international relations. At the outset, the Democrat and decorated veteran stated her opinion that the economy -- and not the war -- is of greatest concern to voters. Nonetheless, Berkowitz pressed her on a variety of foreign relations issues and she proved up to the task.

Morgenthaler spoke about the U.S. trade deficit, dependence on foreign oil, and America's need to engage with allies in the Middle East. One of her most astute insights came when she advocated diplomacy with Iraq's neighbor Iran, linking the escalation in hostilities between the Washington and Tehran to the economic situations of both countries:

MORGENTHALER: We have to have a dialogue with Iran. Right now Iran has a president [Mahmoud Ahmadinejad] that we have to watch out for ... [Iran] has a troublesome economy and he is using us to distract from his problems. And I believe that President Bush is using Iran to try and distract us from our economic problems.

Having listened to Morgenthaler, it's of little surprise that she holds one Masters Degree from the Monterey Institute for International Studies and another in strategic studies from the Military War College.

Global talk aside, Morgenthaler did a good job of linking the Iraq occupation to the economic downturn at home. She also emphasized her support of progressive domestic policies like the mortgage finance bill, expanded health care, and ending subsidies for oil companies.