John Callahan: "There's no doubt that Iran is a very real threat. Iran cannot be allowed, under any circumstances, to acquire a nucular weapon. It's threat to Israel, it's a threat to our country, it's a threat to peace in he Middle East in general. And I think that we need to have all options on the table. We should continue diplomatic sanctions, we should continue economic sanctions, and if need be, take military action. So all actions - all, all, all options - must be on the table and under no circumstances can Iran be allowed to acquire a nucular weapon."
Charlie Dent: "This threat from Iran is very real. It is one that is going to have to be addressed. I supported many of the sanctions, laws, that have been adopted. I'm certainly hopeful that these sanctions will be effective, particularly the one relating to refined petroleum.
"Iran, of course, produces a great deal of crude oil. They don't refine as much as they need to, they have to import much of their refined crude. Part of The Comprehensive Sanctions Act that I supported earlier this year, and we do hope that the ability of the Iranians to import refined crude, refined oil, will be impacted.
"We also need to disrupt Iranian transfers of money. hen they sell oil, they're paid in dollars - and it's been splashed on the pages of The new York Times so I'm not saying anything out of school here - we've been able to use the Treasury Department effectively to disrupt many of those transfers of money. We need to do that.
"And we are going to need some collaboration from some of our other friends. Not just the Europeans that we all love, but from Russians, from the Chinese and others who in too many cases have turned a blind eye to this Iranian threat.
"Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is a menace. He's a pariah. His people don't like him, and he cannot be allowed to have this. This cannot stand.
"And the military option should remain on the table. I hope it doesn't come to that. Israel may feel so threatened that they will need to take unilateral military action, and there will be an asymmetrical response.
"If Israel were to act, I would stand by Israel. This is a real threat. But please remember, should there be a conflict, there will be responses from Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies all over the world. And it will be something the likes of which we have never seen before. So we have to be very, very careful with our rhetoric on this. Ahmadinejad, again, is a menace and my time is up."
Blogger's Note: Both candidates are in basic agreement about Iran, but it is painfully obvious that Callahan's understanding of the complexity and nuances of foreign policy pales in comparison to Dent. That's no knock on Callahan because I doubt many Congressman have Dent's detailed knowledge of foreign affairs. Even the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Buck McKeon, was forced to admit that Dent has visited Iraq and Afghanistan more than he.
I also couldn't help noticing that Callahan pronounces nuclear exactly like President Bush.
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