Republican Delegates on Iran…
Washington Prism
Saint Paul, MN – For the delegates to the Republican National Convention Russia, Iran and Iraq rank top among their foreign policy concerns, followed by energy independence and Afghanistan. There is little agreement however on how to pursue policies on those issues. Disagreements are even more pronounced on the topic of dealing with Iran, some citing a preference towards diplomacy and some towards the use of force.
“I would back the use of force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear power, even in the short-term,” says Dennis Buchholtz from Warren, Michigan, delegate and Chair of the 12th Congressional District for the GOP. “I’m afraid that if we wait too long and Iran gets nuclear weapons, Israel will be first and we don’t know who will be next.”
Mr. Buchholtz appreciates the fact that John McCain is an advocate for a strong military while believing that Obama wants disarmament: “We wouldn’t have won the Cold War had we disarmed; you can never defeat an enemy if you look weak.”
State Senator Karen Brownlee from Kansas does not express the same propensity toward the use of force: “We must be very vigilant, we have a pretty good sense that Iran has nuclear weapons,” she says, “but I wouldn’t want to see a military attack,” Sen. Brownlee believes, although admitting that there might come a time when the US “will have to put its foot down.”
“I’m worried about Iran and I would hate to see them with nuclear weapons” says Amy Borden from Georgia. “I agree that all options must be on the table, but the emphasis should be on diplomacy now,” Ms. Borden thinks.
“Unfortunately there are some people who want to do harm to freedom-loving people,” Arlene Krings, an interior designer from Kansas, tells me. “Honestly I don’t trust their leader, he has already threatened to flatten Israel and wants to make everybody else hostage,” Ms. Krings says referring to Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The only reason why Iran has not yet been attacked, according to Ms. Krings, is that the US recognizes that there are freedom-loving people inside Iran as well and it wants to help them organize: “It’s a matter of time, however. If you negotiate and the people you negotiate with only want to eat you for lunch, then you have to change approach.”
There is complete agreement again when delegates are asked to assess the performance of George W. Bush in the foreign policy arena. “He did an excellent job,” Arlene Krings believes, “If anything, he waited too long to go into Iraq since we knew of their bad intentions, that they were shielding Al Qaeda terrorists and that they had nuclear weapons that then got moved to Syria.” Amy Borden is also pleased with Bush’s job as the Commander in Chief: “It has been seven years since September 11 and we haven’t had any other terrorist attack.”
