IF SO VOTE FOR NEWT OR ROMNEY...Both said they would in CBS'S national security and foreign policy debate !
Romney, Gingrich would wage war on Iran
Two of the top Republican presidential
candidates said Saturday they'd go to war against Iran to prevent it from
acquiring nuclear weapons, following a new report that suggests the leaders of
the Middle Eastern nation continue to pursue such weapons.
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Former House Speaker calls for assassinating Iranian scientists (VIDEO)
Mon Nov 14, 2011 1:47 PM GMT
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said at the Republican presidential debate Saturday that he would be willing to go to war with Iran over its nuclear activities, adding that the United States should consider "taking out their scientists."
"There are a number of ways to be smart about Iran, and a few ways to be dumb. The administration skipped all the ways to be smart," Gingrich said.
He went as far as suggesting that the U.S. should employ "maximum covert operations to block and disrupt the Iranian program including taking out their scientists, including breaking up their systems. All of it covertly, all of it deniable."
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney also said that he would order a military strike against Iran if "crippling sanctions" and other strategies failed.
The United States, Israel and some of their Western allies have ratcheted up their harsh rhetoric against the Islamic Republic before and after the release of the IAEA's latest report on Iran's nuclear program.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano's latest report on Iran's nuclear activities was distributed to the 35 members of the Board of Governors on Tuesday. The report claimed that Iran appeared to have worked on designing an atomic bomb before 2003, adding that these activities "may still be ongoing."
Meanwhile, a recent CBS News poll shows that 72 percent of Americans either do not see Iran as a "threat" or believe "diplomacy" is the best course of action in dealing with Iran.
HIGHLIGHTS
Republicans vying to compete against Obama for the presidency unleashed withering criticism in a debate in South Carolina. It was a rare moment in which foreign policy garnered attention in a campaign dominated by the flagging U.S. economy. Fox News
"If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," said Romney. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann warned that Iran's attempt to develop a nuclear weapon is setting the table "for worldwide nuclear war against Israel." Fox News
Romney said that not preventing Iran from making progress toward nuclear weapons is President Barack Obama's "greatest failing." He said he too would work covertly to "encourage" Iranian dissidents. Bloomberg
Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania agreed. Noting that a mysterious computer virus had caused disruption inside Iran's nuclear labs, and that Iranian scientists have been killed in recent months, he said, "I hope that the U.S. has been involved" in those and other covert actions. theadvertiser.com
Rick Perry also said, "This country can sanction the Iranian central bank right now and shut down that country's economy, and that's what the president needs to do." theadvertiser.com
Businessman Herman Cain called for assisting the opposition movement to bring down "the regime." As president, Cain said he would "assist the opposition movement in Iran that is trying to overthrow the regime" -- short of providing weapons. Bloomberg
Ron Paul strongly disagreed with his two rivals, stressing the need to go to Congress before taking military action and saying it isn't worthwhile to use military force against Iran. "I'm afraid what's going on right now is similar to the war propaganda that went on against Iraq," he said. CBS News
The United States, Israel and some of their Western allies have ratcheted up their harsh rhetoric against the Islamic Republic before and after the release of the IAEA's latest report on Iran's nuclear program.
Several Israeli officials including President Shimon Peres have said in the past week that a military attack against Iran is close at hand.
