Saturday, March 04, 2006
Santorum and Casey on Iraq
The Morning Call Online begins the first in an occasional series on where Republican Sen. Rick Santorum and his likely Democratic challenger, Pennsylvania Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., stand on key issues with questions on Iraq. This is a good series - simple questions and brief answers.The following excerpts show some considerable differences of opinion between the two candidates (on troop withdrawel, neither advocates a timetable) :
1) Do you believe the United States was justified in invading Iraq? Why or why not?
CASEY: Knowing what we know now about (weapons of mass destruction) and the faulty rationale for going to war, there wouldn't have been a vote in the first place.
SANTORUM: Yes. I believe that toppling Saddam Hussein's regime was the right choice for our nation's security. The intelligence available to us at that time demonstrated that Saddam Hussein posed a grave danger to our nation and to the world.
2) Can you provide examples of what you think the United States is doing either right or wrong in Iraq?
SANTORUM: I believe that we have not accurately communicated with the American people about the successes and the challenges that we are facing in Iraq. Earlier this year, I raised these concerns with President Bush. (Santorum has asked President Bush to commission a panel to look at the situation in Iraq. The American people, he wrote the president, ''should hear objective and unbiased assessments of both military and civil operations ongoing in Iraq.'')
CASEY: The Bush Administration planning during the post-combat phase has been disappointing. For example, the administration erred by: not adequately planning for the non-combat phase of the Iraq war; after the invasion, shifting intelligence forces away from the insurgency and toward finding (weapons of mass destruction) in order to support the Bush justification for war; and dragging their feet in the training of Iraqi troops. � We need to build a political consensus within Iraq and develop a strategy among neighboring countries � . We must also build Iraq's capacity to govern and provide vital services to the Iraqi citizens. And we need to speed the transfer authority to the Iraqi security forces. (Casey also said U.S. troops are doing an ''outstanding job.'')
3) Please explain if your position pertaining to the Iraq war has changed, and if so, how.
CASEY: Like most Americans, my feelings toward the war in Iraq changed as more evidence about the buildup to the war was revealed. If it was known then what we know now about (weapons of mass destruction) and the faulty rationale for going to war, there wouldn't have been a vote to go to war in the first place.
SANTORUM: I continue to believe that removing Saddam Hussein from power and working to establish a Democratic government in Iraq is the right choice for our nation's security.
4) In what ways do you think America's image has been affected by the war in Iraq?
SANTORUM: There are many who believe that we made the wrong decision to topple Saddam Hussein's regime and give the Iraqi people the chance to live freely and establish a democratic government. However, I believe that years from now, when this conflict is over and Iraq is stabilized, we will see that this war was worth the sacrifice because the Middle East will be anchored by democracy not terrorism.
CASEY: The Bush Administration's go-it-alone foreign policy has alienated our allies and has weakened international support for our activities around the globe. This tarnishing of our image internationally can and must be repaired.
5) Do you believe the Iraq war has prevented terrorism in the United States? Why or why not?
CASEY: Our original initiative to destroy the haven for terrorists in Afghanistan was the correct thing to do, and it was initially very effective. We should be intensifying our efforts to destroy al-Qaida. It's hard to make the same kind of positive case in Iraq. Our troops have had success battling the insurgents, but there is also mounting evidence that Iraq is becoming a haven for terrorists.
SANTORUM: Yes. We cannot ignore the fact that we have not seen another attack on our homeland since Sept. 11, 2001.
Simple questions and brief answers; you can draw your own conclusions.
My personal take is that Casey dodged the last question because he doesn't want to admit the point that Santorum makes in his answer. Casey's views reflect most Democrat positions and show a serious lack of understanding of the nature of the threat facing this country from Islamist terrorsts. If he understood our security situation better, he might see that it's a good sign to have terrorists fighting in Iraq rather than attacking in America.
I've done some posts on Bush's India visit and his initiative there. When Casey says Bush has isolated us, perhaps he should count the populations - starting with 400 million in all of Europe(with a declining birth rate) and over 1,000 million in India(with an increasing birth rate). By the way, India knows it has a real problem with Islamist terrorists; and Europe has been trying to avoid facing their problem. That may account for some of India's friendliness to us and our policies; and presage a shift in Europe's view as they recognize their in-country problems.
1) Do you believe the United States was justified in invading Iraq? Why or why not?
CASEY: Knowing what we know now about (weapons of mass destruction) and the faulty rationale for going to war, there wouldn't have been a vote in the first place.
SANTORUM: Yes. I believe that toppling Saddam Hussein's regime was the right choice for our nation's security. The intelligence available to us at that time demonstrated that Saddam Hussein posed a grave danger to our nation and to the world.
2) Can you provide examples of what you think the United States is doing either right or wrong in Iraq?
SANTORUM: I believe that we have not accurately communicated with the American people about the successes and the challenges that we are facing in Iraq. Earlier this year, I raised these concerns with President Bush. (Santorum has asked President Bush to commission a panel to look at the situation in Iraq. The American people, he wrote the president, ''should hear objective and unbiased assessments of both military and civil operations ongoing in Iraq.'')
CASEY: The Bush Administration planning during the post-combat phase has been disappointing. For example, the administration erred by: not adequately planning for the non-combat phase of the Iraq war; after the invasion, shifting intelligence forces away from the insurgency and toward finding (weapons of mass destruction) in order to support the Bush justification for war; and dragging their feet in the training of Iraqi troops. � We need to build a political consensus within Iraq and develop a strategy among neighboring countries � . We must also build Iraq's capacity to govern and provide vital services to the Iraqi citizens. And we need to speed the transfer authority to the Iraqi security forces. (Casey also said U.S. troops are doing an ''outstanding job.'')
3) Please explain if your position pertaining to the Iraq war has changed, and if so, how.
CASEY: Like most Americans, my feelings toward the war in Iraq changed as more evidence about the buildup to the war was revealed. If it was known then what we know now about (weapons of mass destruction) and the faulty rationale for going to war, there wouldn't have been a vote to go to war in the first place.
SANTORUM: I continue to believe that removing Saddam Hussein from power and working to establish a Democratic government in Iraq is the right choice for our nation's security.
4) In what ways do you think America's image has been affected by the war in Iraq?
SANTORUM: There are many who believe that we made the wrong decision to topple Saddam Hussein's regime and give the Iraqi people the chance to live freely and establish a democratic government. However, I believe that years from now, when this conflict is over and Iraq is stabilized, we will see that this war was worth the sacrifice because the Middle East will be anchored by democracy not terrorism.
CASEY: The Bush Administration's go-it-alone foreign policy has alienated our allies and has weakened international support for our activities around the globe. This tarnishing of our image internationally can and must be repaired.
5) Do you believe the Iraq war has prevented terrorism in the United States? Why or why not?
CASEY: Our original initiative to destroy the haven for terrorists in Afghanistan was the correct thing to do, and it was initially very effective. We should be intensifying our efforts to destroy al-Qaida. It's hard to make the same kind of positive case in Iraq. Our troops have had success battling the insurgents, but there is also mounting evidence that Iraq is becoming a haven for terrorists.
SANTORUM: Yes. We cannot ignore the fact that we have not seen another attack on our homeland since Sept. 11, 2001.
Simple questions and brief answers; you can draw your own conclusions.
My personal take is that Casey dodged the last question because he doesn't want to admit the point that Santorum makes in his answer. Casey's views reflect most Democrat positions and show a serious lack of understanding of the nature of the threat facing this country from Islamist terrorsts. If he understood our security situation better, he might see that it's a good sign to have terrorists fighting in Iraq rather than attacking in America.
I've done some posts on Bush's India visit and his initiative there. When Casey says Bush has isolated us, perhaps he should count the populations - starting with 400 million in all of Europe(with a declining birth rate) and over 1,000 million in India(with an increasing birth rate). By the way, India knows it has a real problem with Islamist terrorists; and Europe has been trying to avoid facing their problem. That may account for some of India's friendliness to us and our policies; and presage a shift in Europe's view as they recognize their in-country problems.
