Roskam backs away from the notion that Duckworth wants to “cut and run” from Iraq.

Calling it “crude” and “offensive,” Democrat Tammy Duckworth’s campaign team is accusing Republican congressional rival Peter Roskam of tarring the war veteran who lost her legs in combat with advocating a “cut-and-run” strategy in Iraq.

But Roskam’s camp fired back that the GOP state senator was being “misquoted” and “misrepresented” and Duckworth’s campaign was lying.

Here’s the context:

According to audio excerpts on WBBM’s Web site, Duckworth said a pullout of U.S. troops should be linked to ensuring that Iraqi police and national guard forces can defend the country. And she criticized Roskam for advocating the need to “finish well” in Iraq, suggesting it was meaningless.

“I do think finishing well is a notion that resonates well within the 6th Congressional District,” Roskam responded. “I’ve knocked on over 5,300 doors in this campaign and have heard a wide range of opinions about whether we should have gone, whether we shouldn’t have gone, and so forth. I’ll tell you what. The 6th Congressional District is not a cut-and-run district. It is not a timetable district.”

Those excerpts in the Sun-Times aren’t complete. The full exchange is here, so you can listen for yourself.

As usual, I’m more interested in the political angle, and the war of words will most likely be the subject of my Sun-Times column this Friday.

Also, Duckworth has a new TV ad airing.

For nearly a year, 6th Congressional District hopeful Tammy Duckworth has been the antiwar candidate who didn’t much talk about Iraq.

That all changes today as Duckworth begins airing a broadcast TV ad that introduces her to voters and makes clear her opposition to the war. The Iraq war veteran from Hoffman Estates blasts Congress, which she says “rubber-stamped the failed policies in Iraq.”

“We did our duty, but when I came home I wondered, is Congress doing theirs?” says Duckworth, who looks into the camera for much of the 30-second commercial.

I’ll see if it’s available and post it later.

*** UPDATE *** Here is the new Duckworth ad:

*** UPDATE 2 *** I just noticed that the NRCC ad slamming Duckworth on immigration has been posted to YouTube.

*** UPDATE 3 *** Emily’s List just did a poll in the 6th. The MOE is very high because only 400 likely voters were polled, so take it for what it’s worth, which is not a huge amount. Consider it a fuzzy snapshot.

The poll was conducted September 18-20. This is from the polling memo distributed by Emily’s List.

The initial trial heat is tied: 41% for Duckworth, 41% for Roskam, and 18% Undecided. […]

Duckworth is overwhelmingly preferred by voters as the candidate better qualified to “take the best course to get our troops home from Iraq,” 43% to 30% over Roskam. Even more interesting, in a series of ten issues, there is not a single one in which Republican Roskam is judged better qualified than Tammy Duckworth, including “representing your values.” […]

When voters are asked a generic “Democrat versus Republican” trial heat without names attached, the race is a dead heat at 41%, just like the initial trial heat. Later when voters are asked whether they would prefer a Democrat who is Pro Choice and supports embryonic stem cell research or a Republican who is Pro Life and opposes such research, the Pro Choice Democrat dominates, 51% to 35%.

President Bush’s positive job approval is 47% in this district, significantly higher than his national average. This does not, however, seem to be lifting the prospects of candidates like Roskam, as voters are highly dissatisfied with the job performance of the Republican-led Congress.