i More from the Susan Collins interview
More from the Susan Collins interview
BY SUSAN M. COVER
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 02/19/2009

BY SUSAN M. COVER

Staff Writer

During a 40-minute talk with the editorial board, Collins also touched on other subjects, such as sending more troops to Afghanistan, the events in Pakistan and ethics issues involving U.S. Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill.

On Afghanistan, where President Barack Obama decided to send in 17,000 additional troops, Collins said she needs a clearer understanding of the plans for U.S. strategy. Collins, who has visited the country three times, said the situation has worsened in recent months.

"This is supposed to be a NATO operation," she said. "We always seem to bear the burden. This will not be seen as a successful if it's seen as an American operation. It has to be an Afghan-NATO operation."

On Pakistan, Collins said she is worried about how much territory the Taliban occupies. "To me, the most troubling development recently is what's happened in Pakistan," she said. "That Pakistan has ceded so much territory to the control of the Taliban is alarming, to say the least. It's frightening. A new safe haven (for terrorists) is being created."

On Burris, Collins said she has worked with him because he's a new member of the Homeland Security Committee. In recent days, Burris has been accused of giving conflicting information about his involvement with former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached for allegedly trying to sell Obama's Senate seat after he he became president.

"I am sick about these new allegations of what appears to be less than truthful testimony. Or at least it's conflicting in a way that's very difficult to resolve," she said.

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