last week, with some candidates—but not one—trying to be the meanest, toughest and nastiest on Iran.
The exception was Congressman Ron Paul of Texas, who castigated the others for making a mountain out of molehill. Paul said it was quite natural and logical for Iran to want a nuclear weapon, something many academics say, but a view that is virtually verboten for anyone who wants high office in the United States.
Paul also sneered at his fellow candidates for denouncing Obama’s desire to talk with Iran, pointing out that Ronald Reagan negotiated with the Soviet Union.
Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania happily took on Paul, making him a foil as Santorum tossed anti-Iranian red meat before the Republican faithful, saying Iran is “at war with us.”
The debate didn’t shed light on American policy options. It was largely a rehash of shopworn political rhetoric that simply showed some Republican candidates—with the exception of Paul—using Iran to try to portray themselves as hardnosed toughies in the foreign policy arena.
The candidates sometimes stumbled over their rhetoric, with Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota defending the torture of accused terrorists because “this is a tool that we need to have in order to prostitute the new type of war.”
One of the reporters posing the questions raised the topic of sanctions on Iran with Paul. He quoted Paul as saying, “Sanctions are not diplomacy. They are a precursor to war and an embarrassment to a country that pays lip service to free trade.” On Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Paul was quoted as writing: “One can understand why they might want to become nuclear capable, if only to defend themselves and to be treated more respectfully.”
Paul responded, “Even our own CIA gives me this information, that they have no evidence that they’re working on a weapon.… Why wouldn’t it be natural that they might want a weapon? Internationally, they’d be given more respect.”
On talks with Iran, which most Republicans disparage, Paul said, “Why should we write people off?… In the ’50s, we at least talked to … the Soviets. What’s so terribly bad about this? And countries that you put sanctions on, you are more likely to fight them. I say a policy of peace is free trade. Stay out of their internal business. Don’t get involved in these wars. And just bring our troops home.” That bring-the-troops-home appeal won Paul applause from the GOP audience.
Paul mocked sanctions. “This whole idea of sanctions, all these pretend-free-traders, they’re the ones who put on these trade sanctions. This is why we still don’t have trade relationships with Cuba. It’s about time we talked to Cuba and stopped fighting these wars that are about 30 or 40 years old.” Surprisingly, that also won Paul applause.
Santorum then butted in, brushing aside the questioner to say, “Iran is not Iceland, Ron. Iran is a country that has been at war with us since 1979. Iran is a country that has killed more American men and women in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Iraqis and the Afghanistans have.
The moderater told Santorum to be quiet and await his turn, but Santorum seemed to see that he could win votes with an attack on Iran at this point and by picking a fight with Paul, so he just kept going.
“The Iranians are the existential threat to the state of Israel. You ask the Israelis what keeps them up at night? It’s the Iranians’ funding of Hamas and Hezbollah and the support of Syria.”
Paul got the floor back, but didn’t backtrack a bit. “The senator is wrong on his history. We’ve been at war in Iran for a lot longer than ’79. We started it in 1953 when we sent in a coup, installed the Shah, and the blowback came in 1979. It’s been going on and on because we just plain don’t mind our own business. That’s our problem.” That again won Paul applause.
The questioning then shifted to Herman Cain, the founder of Godfather’s Pizza, who was asked about energy policy and Iran.
Cain said, “I believe that our energy strategy is directly related to national security, as well as stopping Iran in their efforts. The head of Iran, Ahmadi-nejad, has said that he wants to wipe Israel off of the face of the Earth. I take that seriously. He has also said he’s not going to listen to the United States, Britain, or anybody else in their attempts to do what they want to do.
“That being said, there’s more to foreign policy than bombs and bullets. There’s bombs and bullets and economics.
“If we go serious about maximizing all of our energy resources in this country, we can become a player on the world market. As the price of oil goes down, it puts an economic squeeze on Iran. This is why I believe we should have a serious energy-independent strategy in order to be able to be a player on the world market. That’s what I meant by using our energy resources, not just oil, but all of our resources to become energy independent.” That also won applause.
The questioning then moved on to Bachmann. She was asked to respond to Paul’s insistence that terrorism suspects should be given due process in civilian courts.
Bachmann answered, incorrectly, that “people who are from foreign countries do not have any right under our Constitution to Miranda rights,” the right of a person being arrested to remain silent until seeing a lawyer.
Bachmann continued: “We’ve also seen that Guan-tanamo Bay has yielded significant information. In fact, we’ve learned that that led to the capture and the killing of Bin Laden. This is a tool that we need to have in order to be able to prostitute the new type of war, the new type of warfare, and the new type of terrorists that this country is dealing with.”
Turning to Iran, she said, “Iran is the central issue in the Middle East and their capacity to become a nuclear power. They’re one of the four state sponsors of terror in the world. I sit on the House Select Committee on Intelligence. I can’t reveal classified information, but I can say this: As president of the United States, I will do everything to make sure that Iran does not become a nuclear power.”
Paul was then recognized and said: “She turns our rule of law on its head. She says that the terrorists don’t deserve protection under our courts, but, therefore, a judgment has to be made. They’re ruled a terrorist. Who rules them a terrorist? I thought our courts recognized that you had to be tried.… You don’t want to translate our rule of law into a rule of mob rule.”
The questioner than gave Santorum a chance to go after Paul again. And he did.
Santorum said, “Anyone that suggests that Iran is not a threat to this country or is not a threat to stability in the Middle East is obviously not seeing the world very clearly. He [Paul] sees it exactly the way that Barack Obama sees it, that we have to go around and apologize for the fact that we’ve gone out and exerted our influence to create freedom around the world.
“I don’t apologize for that. I don’t apologize for the Iranian people being free for a long time and now they’re under a mullacracy that tramples the rights of women, tramples the rights of gays, tramples the rights of people all throughout their society and it’s the greatest supporter of terrorism in the Middle East and around the world and is setting up training camps and is working with Venezuela and other countries south of our border to threaten us.”
Santorum’s complaint that the Islamic Republic doesn’t respect gay rights raised some eyebrows in the American gay community since Santorum doesn’t exactly support gay rights in the United States.
Santorum pushed on, duplicating Bachmann’s pledge that as president she would stop the Islamic Republic from becoming a nuclear power.
“Iran is a country that must be confronted.… And I can tell you, if Rick Santorum and when Rick Santorum is president, Iran will not get a nuclear weapon because the world as we know it will be no more.”
Paul answered: “You’ve heard the war propaganda that is liable to lead us into the sixth war. And I worry about that position. Iran is a threat because they have some militants there. But believe me, they’re all around the world and they’re not a whole lot different than others. Iran does not have an air force that can come here. They can’t even make enough gasoline for themselves. And here we are building up this case just like we did in Iraq — build up the war propaganda.” That earned Paul a loud round of boos.