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Nadeau: Peace in Middle East Key to Foiling Terrorism

By Michael Goot
Foster's Online
Posted on Saturday October 9, 2004

DOVER — Democratic congressional candidate Justin Nadeau believes the war on terrorism can only be won by achieving peace in the Middle East.

“We need to address the Middle East peace process,” he said. “That’s been stalled. That’s the source of terrorism.”

Nadeau discussed his views in an interview Friday with Foster’s Daily Democrat.

The attorney from Portsmouth said the United States came close to brokering peace during the Carter and Clinton administrations.

However, events such as the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 stalled the process. Nadeau said this country has an obligation to the global community to get the peace talks back on track.

Since U.S. forces are in Iraq, he believes it is necessary to bring more allies into a multinational coalition so the United States can bring some of its troops home.

He would also like more nations to contribute to the cause so it is not just American tax dollars being spent. Nadeau believes the country has already invested about $200 billion in Iraq.

He acknowledged it would be difficult for the current administration to bring in more allies for the reconstruction of Iraq because President Bush “pushed aside” previous diplomatic efforts.

Nadeau said he spoke with some Iraqi-Americans during a recent visit to Dearborn, Mich.

“They were thankful that Saddam Hussein is not in power,” he said of the former Iraqi president.

“They believe we went about it wrong,” Nadeau added. “It could have been done more diplomatically with less bloodshed.”

Nadeau said the United States should not be in the business of nation building, which is what Bush said while campaigning for president in 2000.

Regarding homeland security issues, Nadeau said the Patriot Act must be allowed to expire.

“The Patriot Act has really infringed upon our civil liberties,” he said.

Nadeau recalled an incident on the Michigan trip while he was traveling with Bill Shaheen and the husband of the former governor was pulled aside and forced to remove his tie, unbutton his shirt, and take off his shoes because he has an Arab-sounding last name. Shaheen is Lebanese.

He said funding needs to be available for the first responders to emergencies and the nation’s transportation network and ports should be protected.

On domestic issues, Nadeau said he believes the Bush tax cuts should be repealed, except for the expanded child credit and the marriage penalty relief.

“The Bush tax cuts were reckless and wrong for this country,” he said.

Nadeau describes himself as a fiscal conservative and said the government needs to control spending.

“I believe in less is better. We don’t need an increasing federal government. We need to restore more power to the states,” Nadeau said.

He believes there are a lot of bureaucrats in Washington earning large paychecks to do such things as “test the flow rate of ketchup.”

Nadeau, however, said the government needs to invest in small businesses. An investment of $170 million could net $28 billion in revenue for the government.

He criticized his opponent in the Nov. 2 election, U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley, R-N.H., for voting with the Bush administration 96 percent of the time.

One measure where he differs with Bradley is in support for reimportation of prescription drugs from Canada. Nadeau believes these drugs are safe because they have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

But the real problem is the drug companies, he said.

“This is just a band-aid (solution) to price gouging going on by pharmaceutical manufacturers,” he said.

Nadeau also criticized Bradley for voting to raid the Social Security trust fund to help balance the federal budget. Although the deficit may be $422 billion, it is really $530 billion without raiding the trust fund, he said.

Nadeau said he supports the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act such as smaller class sizes and raising educational standards, but believes the program is receiving little if any funding from the federal government.

“It comes right out of our pocketbook through our property taxes,” he said.

Nadeau supports local control of education. While campaigning, he spoke with a man who lost his job with a school laboratory equipment firm because schools were not buying equipment, but rather standardized tests.

On environmental issues, Nadeau opposes drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He said the country needs to crack down on companies that pollute.

Also, the country should be making other nations stick to labor and environmental standards. Also, the Superfund program for environmental cleanups should be bolstered, he added.

Nadeau believes the country should be considering more alternative sources of power such as wind and solar energy as well as hydrogen fuel cells. He does not support increasing the gasoline tax to reduce the demand for oil.

Nadeau also said he backs gay marriage, a hot-button social issue.

“I am against amending the U.S. Constitution to determine who or who cannot be married. I think it’s a state issue,” he said. “I really believe it should be amended to broaden rights, not restrict them.”

He sees it as another “separate-but-equal” civil rights issue.

If elected, Nadeau said he would fight to keep the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open because he believes it is vital to both the economy and security of the area.

Nadeau acknowledged it would be difficult to knock off an incumbent such as Bradley.

“It’s tough running against an incumbent but people in New Hampshire want change. If you want a congressman who’s going to be fiscally conservative, socially progressive, someone who will never, ever be told what to vote by a president, vice president, majority leader, big drug company or special interest group,” he said.

When Nadeau announced he was running for elected office, even his own mother thought he was just running for the state Senate, not Congress.

Nadeau acknowledged he is a newcomer, but does not think a person needs to have an extensive resume to run for elected office.

“I’m sick and tired of career politicians. Someone who thinks they have got to go climb the ladder,” he said.