Debates: Iran
Duncan Hunter wins the Chris Matthews award for most eager to fight Mahmoud Amahdinejad in a dark alley.
Without a doubt, Hunter was the most adamant about the immediate need to act against Iran militarily.
John McCain, who, like the other nine candidates, never mentioned anything about attempting to collect loose nukes around the globe, stated that his "greatest fear is the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon and give it to a terrorist organization. And there is a real threat of them doing that."
But McCain added that there "are lots of additional efforts that can be made and must be made before we consider that option. There's lots of things we can do. That is the ultimately final option, and I don't think we need to exercise it at this time."
Tom Tancredo awkwardly answered a question about aiding Israel in an attack on Iran:
There were a few scattered mentions of Iran elsewhere in the debate.
Without a doubt, Hunter was the most adamant about the immediate need to act against Iran militarily.
MR. VANDEHEI: Congressman Hunter, Maggie from Highland Park, Illinois, wants to know if you consider yourself a compassionate conservative, like President Bush.
REP. HUNTER: Answer: yes. And let me take the rest of my time on Iran. You know, right now -- (laughter) -- right now Iran is moving equipment into Iraq that is being used to kill Americans. Iran has crossed the line, and the United States has absolute license at this point to take whatever actions are necessary to stop those deadly instruments from being moved across the line, being used in explosives, roadside bombs, inside Iraq.
And lastly, you know, we should not get to the edge of the cliff on this enrichment of uranium and plutonium to be used for nuclear weapon in Iran. The United States needs to move very quickly.
John McCain, who, like the other nine candidates, never mentioned anything about attempting to collect loose nukes around the globe, stated that his "greatest fear is the Iranians acquire a nuclear weapon and give it to a terrorist organization. And there is a real threat of them doing that."
But McCain added that there "are lots of additional efforts that can be made and must be made before we consider that option. There's lots of things we can do. That is the ultimately final option, and I don't think we need to exercise it at this time."
Tom Tancredo awkwardly answered a question about aiding Israel in an attack on Iran:
REP. TANCREDO: I say that, look, when we -- if you look at this issue and stand back for just a second and say there are two kinds of Irans that we are going to have to deal with here, one headed by a gentleman who believes that he is going to be responsible for the coming of the 12th imam, and the guy with a bomb, that should put us in the position of saying that anything we can do to stop that is imperative.
And if Israel is put in that position, and if we need to be involved in order to protect both ourselves and the Israelis, then of course we respond in the appropriate fashion.
There were a few scattered mentions of Iran elsewhere in the debate.
