I know Huck is still in it, but the time for realism has come…
Some brief excerpts on each candidate from an article by Richard Miniter at Pajamas:
The Bitch on Russert:
MR. RUSSERT: Would you make a promise as a potential commander in chief that you will not allow Iran to become a nuclear power and will use any means to stop it?
SENATOR CLINTON: Well, what I have said is that I will do everything I can to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, including the use of diplomacy, the use of economic sanctions, opening up direct talks. We haven’t even tried. That’s what is so discouraging about this. So then you have the Republican candidates on the other side jumping to the kind of statements that you just read to us. We need a concerted, comprehensive strategy to deal with Iran . We haven’t had it. We need it. And I will provide it.
The Empty Briefcase Kid:
“I would meet directly with Iranian leaders. I would meet directly with Syrian leaders. We would engage in a level of aggressive personal diplomacy in which a whole host of issues are on the table. … Iran and Syria would start changing their behavior if they started seeing that they had some incentives to do so, but right now the only incentive that exists is our president suggesting that if you do what we tell you, we may not blow you up.”
Romney:
“You sit down with your attorneys and [they] tell you what you have to do, but obviously, the president of the United States has to do what’s in the best interest of the United States to protect us against a potential threat. … Certainly what you want to do is to have the agreement of all the people in leadership of our government, as well as our friends around the world where those circumstances are available. But the key thing here is to make sure that we don’t have to use military action against Iran
McCain:
“I think the president’s right to start with trying to bankrupt them before we bomb them. That’s a good way to start. But we have to be prepared to take, again, whatever action. And I don’t want to go through every possible scenario other than to say that that would mean just what it says. Whatever it takes.”
The Full Article with lots more here.
http://patdollard.com/2008/02/the-final-four-candidates-stance-on-iran/
