WASHINGTON – Taking time away from campaign stops in Super Tuesday states, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich switched from criticizing each other to blasting President Barack Obama’s Iran policies in speeches to a pro-Israel audience in Washington Tuesday.
At the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference, each candidate condemned Obama’s position favoring diplomacy at this point in dealing with Iran’s nuclear build-up. They laid out their plans for how they would prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities. Ron Paul was not invited to address the group because, in Congress, he voted against aid to Israel.
The only Republican candidate to speak in person, Sen. Rick Santorum said Tuesday that he wants to do more than just talk with Iran. (Rebecca Nelson/Medill)
Sen. Rick Santorum:
“We need to say to the Iranian government, ‘The time is now. You will stop your nuclear production now. You will open up your facilities for inspectors from the United States and other countries so we can certify that those efforts are stopping and being dismantled now.”
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney addressed the crowd from Boston via satellite, taking questions from a panel. (Rebecca Nelson/Medill)
Gov. Mitt Romney:
“I will bring the current policy of procrastination toward Iran to an end…As president, I will be ready to engage in diplomacy but I will be just as ready to engage our military might.”
Speaking via satellite, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told the crowd that as president, he would move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. (Rebecca Nelson/Medill)
Speaker Newt Gingrich:
“In a Gingrich administration, we would not keep talking while the Iranians keep building. We would indicate clearly that their failure to stop their program is in fact crossing a red line. The red line is not the morning a bomb goes off, the red line is not the morning our intelligence community tells us they’ve failed once again, the red line is now.”
