Not to be outdone by Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, who have already expressed their feelings about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to the U.S., Fred Thompson says he wouldn't admit the guy at all.
"If I were president of the United States none of this would have been an issue -- I wouldn't have let him into the country in the first place," he said.
A day after Giuliani promised to "set [Iran] back five or 10 years" if that nation appears close to obtaining nuclear weapons, Thompson took his own tough line: "If we don't get serious and act now -- before they build atomic weapons -- the stakes will be even higher, and our hand much weaker."
With most of the GOP candidates sharing a similar strategy on their approach to Iraq, could Iran be turning into the real primary-season foreign-policy difference-maker?
-- Stephen Dinan, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (4)
When is the world going to have serious dialogue about the consequences of Iran with nuclear weapons? They say the wars in Iraq is for oil. That may be part of it, but quantified stability has been presented as a much loftier objective. We need to limit the dialogue to stability or Ahmadinejad or Chavez doesn't get to speak. If they don't get to speak, they don't enter the country. If they deviate, we taze them. Why should they be treated any different than a U.S. citizen.
Posted by Larry Stone | September 20, 2007 5:31 PM
HOW DARE ALL THESE PEOPLE CLAIM TO SPEAK FOR ME !
I think it's wonderful Ahmadinejad wants to lay a wreath at ground zero and I believe him when he says he wants to pay respects to the victims.
Posted by sam | September 20, 2007 5:35 PM
If Ahmadinejad really wanted to pay respects, why did he wait so long and when has he or Iran espoused any sympathy for them in the past? Doesn't seem to be much integrity there.
Posted by Larry Stone | September 21, 2007 3:11 AM
Back in 1995, I remember when Rudy Giuliani, then mayor of New York City, actually had Yasir Arafat thrown out of the Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan while he was watching a performance. Arafat was stunned and he was forced to leave. Giuliani did this because he said that Arafat had a right to speak at the United Nations but that he didn't have a right to go wherever he wanted to in New York City. He said that a known terrorist wasn't welcomed in New York City. Too bad that the current New York City mayor, Mike Bloomberg, didn't have the same nerve as Giuliani did in throwing out Ahmadinejad from Columbia University. Ahmadinejad has made his views clear on TV, in speeches, in newspapers, and around the world. He really has nothing new to say. He was even on 60 Minutes last Sunday night. How much more exposure does this guy need? Only Rudy Giuliani has already shown that heads of terrorist states should not be welcomed in this country.
Posted by Libertyship46 | September 25, 2007 10:34 AM