Campaign Statements — War on Terror

Saturday January 28, 2012

“We are faced with enemies who enjoy killing us.”

“I believe we need a profoundly new approach to the Middle East. The fact is that we are faced with enemies who enjoy killing us. If somebody puts a body bomb on to walk into a store or restaurant or a mall and blows themselves up for the purpose of blowing you up, why would you think that person wouldn’t be delighted to do the same thing with a nuclear weapon? That why when people say we don’t have to be worried about an Iranian nuclear weapon, I wonder where they’ve been.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Newt Gingrich | War on Terror |

Thursday January 26, 2012

“The threat of radical Islam growing in [South America]...”

“We only—not only have to come together as an economic unit, but the threat of terrorism, the threat of Iran now in Venezuela and in other places, and Cuba and in Nicaragua, the threat of radical Islam growing in that region—is it important for—it’s absolutely important for us to have a president who understands that threat and understands the solution is closer ties. I will visit that area of the world, repeatedly, to solidify those ties when I become president.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Rick Santorum | War on Terror |

Tuesday January 24, 2012

“A…partnership with Afghanistan so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.”

“Ending the Iraq war has allowed us to strike decisive blows against our enemies. From Pakistan to Yemen, the Al Qaida operatives who remain are scrambling, knowing that they can’t escape the reach of the United States of America.

From this position of strength, we’ve begun to wind down the war in Afghanistan. Ten thousand of our troops have come home. Twenty-three thousand more will leave by the end of this summer. This transition to Afghan lead will continue, and we will build an enduring partnership with Afghanistan so that it is never again a source of attacks against America.”

CATEGORIES: Afghanistan | Barack Obama | Iraq | War on Terror |

Monday January 23, 2012

“Obama’s Iran policy has been a colossal failure.”

“What happens if Iran gets a nuclear weapon and the entire world changes? Iran is not just another country, or a little, small country, as President Obama said classically during the campaign. Obama’s Iran policy has been a colossal failure.

It’s been a failure because he’s not been true to the American public about the threat that Iran poses to the world. Not just to Israel, but to the world and to the United States.

The bottom line is the theocracy that runs Iran is the equivalent of having al Qaeda in charge of a country with huge oil reserves, gas reserves, and a nuclear weapon. That is something that no president could possibly allow to have happen under any circumstances.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Rick Santorum | War on Terror |

Monday January 23, 2012

“You don’t draw down during the middle of the fighting season.”

“This president, however, has done — made — made it very difficult for our troops to be able to be successful in that mission by, number one, announcing a withdrawal date for our troops, number two drawing down our surge troops faster than the time the commanders on the ground was necessary. You don’t draw them down during the middle of the fighting season. And finally, by not overseeing elections in Afghanistan to assure that the — the selection of their president was seen by the people as being legitimate. And he has failed in — in executing a policy in Afghanistan that would optimize our prospects of success.”

CATEGORIES: Afghanistan | Mitt Romney | War on Terror |

Monday January 23, 2012

“Our mission is to…turn Afghanistan…over to a military of Afghan descent.”

“[You end a war in Afghanistan without talking to the Taliban] by beating them. By standing behind our troops and making sure that — that we have transitioned to the Afghan military, a capacity for them to be successful in holding off the Taliban. Our — our mission there, is to be able to turn Afghanistan and it’s sovereignty over to a military of Afghan descent — Afghan people that can defend their sovereignty. And that is something which we can accomplish in the next couple of years.”

CATEGORIES: Afghanistan | Mitt Romney | War on Terror |

Monday January 23, 2012

“The Iranians think that…this president is so weak, they could close the Straits of Hormuz.”

“The American people have no interest in going to war anywhere. We had no interest in going to war with the Japanese when they bombed Pearl Harbor. We had no interest in going to Afghanistan when jihadist’s destroyed the World Trade Center. The fact is, we’ve historically been a country that would like peace, we’d like stability. But we also have a historic commitment to — to freedom of the sea. And I would say that the most dangerous thing, which by the way, Barack Obama just did, the — the Iranians are practicing closing the Straits of Hormuz, actively taunting us, so he cancels a military exercise with the Israelis so as not to be provocative?

Now, dictatorships respond to strength, they don’t respond to weakness and I think there’s a very grave danger that the Iranians think that in fact this president is so weak, they could close the Straits of Hormuz and not suffer substantial consequences.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Newt Gingrich | War on Terror |

Monday January 23, 2012

“We want to show Iran, any action of that nature will be considered…an act of terror.”

MODERATOR: “Governor — Governor Romney, last night, the Abe Lincoln, U.S. aircraft carrier and a couple other attendant U.S. Navy vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. If Iran was able to fulfill, carry out that threat to shut down the strait, would you consider that an act of war? What would you do about it as president?”

MITT ROMNEY: “Of — of course it’s an act of war. It is appropriate and — and essential for our military, for our Navy to — to maintain open seas. We have control of the commons, of space, air, and the seas. Our Navy has the capacity to do that — or did in the past.

Under this president and under prior presidents, we keep on shrinking our Navy. Our Navy is now smaller than any time since 1917. And — and — and the president is building roughly nine ships a year. We ought to raise that to 15 ships a year, not because we want to go to war with anyone, but because we don’t want anyone to take the — the — the hazard of going against us. We want them to see that we’re so strong they couldn’t possibly defeat us.

So we ought to have an aircraft carrier in the gulf, an aircraft carrier, and, of course, the task force with it in the Mediterranean. We want to show Iran, any action of that nature will be considered an act of war, an act of terror and — and America is going to be keep those sea lanes open.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Mitt Romney | War on Terror |

Monday January 23, 2012

“There is a growing network…working with the jihadists…they could come across our border.”

“It’s not 1962. They’re now with the Cubans and the Venezuelans, the Nicaraguans. There is a growing network of folks now working with the jihadists, the Iranians, who are very, very excited about the opportunity to having platforms 90 miles off our coast, just like the Soviets were, very anxious to have platforms 90 miles off our coast, or in Venezuela, or in Nicaragua, and other places they could come across the southern border.

This is a serious threat. It’s a threat that I’ve been talking about for about six or seven years. And it’s one that’s not going to go away until we — we confront the threat and hopefully are able to convince the Cuban people that, through what Newt and others have suggested, to — to change their government at the appropriate time.”

CATEGORIES: Iran | Rick Santorum | War on Terror |