Crow, Downing Split on Iran War 25 Years After 9/11 Service
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 11
Crow, Downing Split on Iran War 25 Years After 9/11 Service
2 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 11
Summary
Jason Crow and Troy Downing, both shaped by post-9/11 military service and now serving in Congress, have emerged with sharply different views on the current Iran war.
Crow, a 47-year-old Colorado Democrat who served three Army tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, calls Iran a "war of choice" and says Iraq taught him the U.S. was led by false claims and manipulated intelligence.
Downing, a 59-year-old Montana Republican who enlisted at 34 and served eight years in the Air Force and Air National Guard with two Afghanistan tours, argues Iran has been "at war with us" for nearly 50 years and says the U.S. "did not pick this war."
Their divide reflects how post-9/11 veterans in Congress do not fit neatly into party lines, even as more than 30 lawmakers began military careers after January 2000.
The contrast also tracks a broader 25-year political shift: bipartisan support for Afghanistan and Iraq gave way to anti-war sentiment in both parties, now resurfacing in Republican tensions over Trump's Iran conflict.