Topics in the News: ISIS
Mike Pence on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Oct 7, 2020)
Trump moved embassy to Jerusalem and destroyed ISIS
President Trump kept his word when we moved the American embassy to Jerusalem. NATO is now contributing more to our common defense than ever before thanks to President Trump's leadership. When President Trump came into office, ISIS had captured an area
of the Middle East, the size of Pennsylvania, but President Trump unleashed the American military and our armed forces destroy the ISIS caliphate and took down their leader, al-Baghdadi without one American casualty.
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Source: 2020 Vice-Presidential Debate in Utah
Susan Rice on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Nov 14, 2019)
Worked to bring allies together to address challenges
Q: What is the Obama foreign policy legacy?RICE: I think we effectively leveraged our alliances and partnerships to address key concerns. Whether it was working to negotiate the Paris Climate Agreement, or the Iran nuclear agreement, or the
Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the coalition to fight ISIS, or to fight the Ebola epidemic. We effectively brought allies and partners together to address those complex challenges and did so even as we had to confront many of them simultaneously.
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Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2020 Veepstakes
Mike Pence on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 27, 2019)
Grateful Trump is always focused on safety of troops
I have to tell you as the father of the United States Marine, I couldn't be more grateful that we have a commander in chief that is always asking about whether American forces have to be in harm's way. ISIS the caliphate had been destroyed so the
president said we'll bring them home. But last night, the president proved to the world that our fight against ISIS is unrelenting. By killing the leader of ISIS, we believe we'll have a measurable impact on that terrorist organization.
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Source: CBS Face the Nation on 2020 Veepstakes
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Oct 15, 2019)
Turkey is not a US ally when they invade & mass slaughter
Q: Is Turkey still a U.S. ally? Should they remain in NATO?Sanders: No, Turkey is not a U.S. ally when they invade another country and engage in mass slaughter. The crisis here is when you begin to betray people. In terms of the Kurds,
11,000 of them died fighting ISIS, 20,000 were wounded. And the United States said, "We are with you. We're standing with you."
And then suddenly one day, after a phone call with [Turkish President] Erdogan, announced by tweet, Trump reverses that policy. Now you tell me, what country in the world will trust the word of the President of the United States?
In other words, what he has done is wreck our ability to do foreign policy, to do military policy because nobody in the world will believe this pathological liar.
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Source: October Democratic CNN/NYTimes Primary debate
Susan Rice on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 11, 2019)
We sold out the Kurds in Syria
We have sold out the Kurds, who fought on our behalf against ISIS with our support. We provided training and advice and support to the Kurds, who were taking the fight to ISIS, quite effectively. The president's decision to pull out was more than a
green light. It was a red carpet. And we have seen what the Turks have done. They're waging a relentless fight, 100,000 people displaced. And now for the administration to turn around and say, "but we really didn't mean it," strains credulity.
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Source: PBS Newshour on 2020 Maine Senate race
Pete Buttigieg on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jun 11, 2019)
Prioritize cyber-threats & extremism, not more submarines
We must also be proactive in confronting armed extremist threats at home. In the past decade more Americans have been killed in America by right-wing extremists than those inspired by al
Qaeda or ISIS, we need to acknowledge this threat too and redirect appropriate resources to combat right-wing extremism and violent white nationalism.
In the coming decades, we are more likely than ever to face insurgencies, asymmetric attacks, and high-tech strikes with cyber weapons or drones. Yet our latest defense budget calls for spending more on 3 Virginia-class submarines--
$10.2 billion--than on cyber defenses. It proposes spending more on a single frigate than on artificial intelligence and machine learning. We need to look not only at how much we're spending on our military but what we're prioritizing.
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Source: 2020 presidential campaign website, PeteForAmerica.com
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jan 30, 2018)
Keep Guantanamo open; stop releases & add new prisoners
Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil. When possible, we annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy
combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are.In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield--including the ISIS leader, al-Baghdadi.
So today, I am keeping another promise. I just signed an order to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay.
I am also asking the Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and al-Qa'ida, we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists--wherever we chase them down.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: 2018 State of the Union address
Tulsi Gabbard on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy May 27, 2017)
Supports Egyptian dictator in fight against terrorism
In November 2015, she traveled to Egypt as part of a congressional delegation and met Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. "President el-Sisi has shown great courage and leadership in taking on this extreme Islamist ideology, while also fighting
against ISIS militarily to keep them from gaining a foothold in Egypt," Gabbard said, urging US political leaders to "recognize President el-Sisi and his leadership" and "stand with him in this fight against Islamic extremists."
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Source: Jacobin Mag., "Not your friend": 2020 presidential hopefuls
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(War & Peace Feb 28, 2017)
ISIS are lawless savages; extinguish them from our planet
As promised, I directed the Department of Defense to develop a plan to demolish and destroy ISIS--a network of lawless savages that have slaughtered Muslims and Christians, and men, women, and children of all faiths and beliefs.
We will work with our allies, including our friends and allies in the Muslim world, to extinguish this vile enemy from our planet.
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Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
Hillary Clinton on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Oct 19, 2016)
If you are on no-fly list, you shouldn't have a gun
CLINTON: We need to keep our eye on ISIS. That's why I want to have an intelligence surge that protects us here at home, why we have to go after them from the air, on the ground, online,
why we have to make sure here at home we don't let terrorists buy weapons. If you're too dangerous to fly, you're too dangerous to buy a gun.
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Source: Third 2016 Presidential Debate moderated by Fox News
Hillary Clinton on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Oct 9, 2016)
Work with Muslim countries against ISIS; not against Islam
Q: With Islamophobia on the rise, how will you help Muslims deal with the consequences of being labeled as a threat to the country after the election?A: I've heard this question from a lot of Muslim-Americans because there's been a lot of very
divisive, dark things said about Muslims. It's very short-sighted and dangerous to be engaging in the kind of demagogic rhetoric of Trump. We need American Muslims to be part of our eyes and ears on our front lines. I've worked with a lot of different
Muslim groups around America. I've heard how important it is for them to feel that they are wanted and included and part of our country, part of our homeland security, and that's what I want to see. I intend to defeat ISIS, to do so in a coalition with
majority Muslim nations. Right now, a lot of those nations are hearing what Trump says and wondering, "why should we cooperate with the Americans?" This is a gift to ISIS and the terrorists, violent jihadist terrorists. We are not at war with Islam.
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Source: Second 2016 Presidential Debate at WUSTL in St. Louis MO
Mike Pence on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 4, 2016)
Back at war in Iraq because we didn't leave enough forces
After Clinton traveling millions of miles as our Secretary of State, after she being the architect of the foreign policy of this administration, America is less safe today than it was the day that Obama became president. It's absolutely inarguable.
We've weakened the US's place in the world. It's been a combination of factors, but mostly it's been a lack of leadership. I will give you [the killing of bin Laden]. Osama bin Laden led Al Qaida. Our primary threat today is ISIS.
Because Clinton failed to renegotiate a status of forces agreement that would have allowed some American combat troops to remain in Iraq and secure the hard fought gains the American soldier had won,
ISIS was able to be conjured up out of the desert, and it's overrun vast areas that the American soldier had won. Because Clinton and Obama failed to provide a status of forces agreement and leave sufficient troops in there, we are back at war.
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Source: 2016 Vice-Presidential Debate at Longwood University
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Technology Sep 26, 2016)
We invented Internet but ISIS is beating us at our own game
Q: How do we fight a cyber attack?A: We should be better than anybody else, and perhaps we're not. I don't think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC. She's saying "Russia, Russia, Russia," but I don't. Maybe it was. I mean, it could
be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, OK? We came up with the Internet, and Clinton and myself would agree very much, when you look at what
ISIS is doing with the Internet, they're beating us at our own game. So we have to get very, very tough on cyber and cyber warfare. It is a huge problem. The security aspect of cyber is very, very tough. And maybe it's hardly doable.
But I will say, we are not doing the job we should be doing. But that's true throughout our whole governmental society. We have so many things that we have to do better and certainly cyber is one of them.
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Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(War & Peace Sep 9, 2016)
Military and cyberwar to prevent ISIS genocide of Christians
ISIS is hunting down and exterminating what it calls the nation of the cross. ISIS is carrying out a genocide against Christians in the Middle East. We cannot let this evil continue--can't let it. ISIS must be destroyed--have to; have no choice.To
defeat ISIS, we must use military warfare, but also cyber warfare, financial warfare and ideological warfare. It's a whole different ballgame today than it was 50 years ago.
We must also establish an international goal with our allies of defeating
radical Islamic terrorism--words that our president won't use and that Hillary Clinton won't use. Just like we won the Cold War by identifying our enemy and building a consensus to guide a long-term strategy, so too must we do the same with Islamic
terrorism.
By the way, President Obama has allowed Syrian refugees to pour into our country at unbelievable rates, but it's almost impossible to get a Christian in from Syria. They take others, but they don't take Christians--very, very, very rare.
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Source: 11th Annual Value Voters Summit - 2016
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Sep 7, 2016)
Russia wants to defeat ISIS as badly as we do; work together
Q: What prepares you to make the decisions that a commander-in-chief has to make?A: I've built a great company. I've been all over the world. I've dealt with foreign countries. I've done tremendously well dealing with China and with many of the
countries that are just ripping this country. I think the main thing is I have great judgment.
Q: What steps would you take to bring Putin back to negotiating table?
A: I would have a good relationship with Putin. Take a look at what happened with
their fighter jets circling one of our aircraft in a very dangerous manner. Somebody said less than 10 feet away. This is hostility. Russia wants to defeat ISIS as badly as we do. If we had a relationship with Russia, wouldn't it be wonderful if we
could knock the hell out of ISIS?
Q: Putin called you a brilliant leader.
A: When he calls me brilliant, I'll take the compliment. The fact is, look, it's not going to get him anywhere. I'm a negotiator. We're going to take back our country.
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Source: 2016 NBC Commander-in-Chief forum with Matt Lauer
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(War & Peace Sep 7, 2016)
Current leadership hurts military; need change to beat ISIS
Under Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the generals have been reduced to rubble. They have been reduced to a point where it's embarrassing for our country. You have a force of 30,000 or so people. I can see General George Patton spinning in his
grave with ISIS we can't beat. I have great faith in the military. I have great faith in certain of the commanders. But I have no faith in Hillary Clinton. When she starts saying, "Oh, I would have done this," she's been there for 30 years.
We have had the worst and you could even say the dumbest foreign policy. Our results are so bad. We would have been better off had we never, ever spent $2 in that part of the world.
I have great respect for the
[military leadership] that gave us the [national security] briefings. They were experts on Iraq and Iran and Russia. There was one thing that shocked me. What I did learn is that our leadership, Barack Obama, did not follow what our experts said to do.
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Source: 2016 NBC Commander-in-Chief forum with Matt Lauer
Mike Pence on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Jul 20, 2016)
Other countries respect strength, not weakness
Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton's policies have weakened America's place in the world. Terrorist attacks at home and abroad, grim and heartbreaking scenes from France just a few weeks ago, and the attempted coup in Turkey all attest to a world spinning
apart. History teaches that weakness arouses evil. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama's foreign-policy of leading from behind, moving red lines, feigning resets with Russia, and the rise of ISIS are a testament to the truth of history.
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Source: Speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention
Mike Pence on ISIS:
(War & Peace Jul 15, 2016)
Military action to crush ISIS
A Donald Trump-Mike Pence administration will "support military action to crush ISIS," Pence said. "We've got to exercise the full strength of the United States of America," Pence told Fox News, "diplomatically and militarily.
"This is a military enemy," he said of the Islamic State. "What happened in Orlando, what just happened in Nice--these are terrorist attacks that are inspired by a military organization. We have to recognize that we are in a struggle."
In his first major interview since Trump's announcement on who would get the No. 2 slot, Pence said that "we have to recognize and speak plainly about the impact and the influence of radical Islam. But let's focus on the enemy. The enemy is ISIS.
We know where they are. It's a metastasized version of Islam that is radical Islam that's being used as a justification for simply a power grab in the region," the governor said. "That's what this caliphate is."
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Source: Newsmax.com, "Military Action," on 2016 Veepstakes
Bill Weld on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Jul 7, 2016)
Focus on nuclear proliferation & the Sunni-Shia schism
Q: You've said the Islamic State is not a existential threat to the U.S.so what are the top three things you worry about?JOHNSON: Well, that ISIS is a very real threat, but I think their days are numbered, they are regional.
WELD: My #1 would be nuclear proliferation, which is why I think it's unbelievable that Donald Trump has suggested that the South Koreans and the Japanese perhaps should have access to nuclear weapons.
Religious sectarianism, the Sunni-Shia schism around the world is pretty high on the list, as well. We don't think about it here every day, but, you know, when you're considering actions like Iraq, actions that we've taken in the
Middle East and North Africa, you've got to think about things like that as well that have rippling effects in a number of different countries, all across the top of Africa, for example.
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Source: Washington Post interview of Johnson & Weld on 2016 election
Bill Weld on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jul 7, 2016)
Take on ISIS with FBI task forces, like we took on the Mafia
Q: What should be done in terms of measures to stem gun violence from terrorists, and in particular proposals on no-fly lists or terrorist watch lists?WELD: In my time in the Department of Justice, we had great success with specialized task forces,
the most prominent example being the organized crime strike forces. And Rudy Giuliani and myself and a bunch of other U.S. attorneys really did succeed in taking out the top three echelons of the La Cosa Nostra organized crime families in the late '80s.
I suggest that 1,000 FBI agents be hired with a supplemental budget and then 1,000 people with terrorist training and backgrounds, specialists, would go to this new task force and a like number, you know, 200 or however many prosecutors were required.
And this is not to get [any particular terrorist]; this is to get ISIS. So it's a big national priority. And then you would have a hotline encouraging any tips whatsoever, and you would have this database of ISIS tips and tips on lone wolves.
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Source: Washington Post interview of Johnson & Weld on 2016 election
Bill Weld on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jun 22, 2016)
Treat ISIS as a gigantic organized crime family
In the Justice Department, and I was an organized crime prosecutor, [when we] took out the whole top three echelons of organized crime in the 1980s. And I think we should do the same with a thousand-person FBI taskforce treating
ISIS as a gigantic organized crime family, which is exactly what it is. And you have them add the probable cause bit by bit, just like the Justice Department does.
Jim Comey, the head of the FBI, was practically a national hero when he was deputy attorney general, together with my deputy in the Justice Department, Bob Mueller, who was head of the FBI for 12 years.
These people know how to do this, task forces like the department had against Enron, financial crimes. So they could get results there treating ISIS as an organized crime family and taking them out.
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Source: CNN Libertarian Town Hall: joint interview of Johnson & Weld
John Kasich on ISIS:
(War & Peace Mar 3, 2016)
We need more than Special Forces in Libya
Sen. Marco RUBIO: ISIS needs to be targeted wherever they have an operating space. It will require a specific number of American special operators, in combination with an increase in air strikes.Q [to Kasich]: Would you put ground troops in Libya?
KASICH: We absolutely have to be -- and not just with special forces. I mean, that's not going to work. We have to be there on the ground in significant numbers. We do have to include our Muslim Arab friends to work with us on that. And we have to be in
the air. It should be a broad coalition, made up of the kinds of people that were involved when we defeated Saddam. Now, you've got to be on the ground and in the air both in Syria and Iraq. And at some point, we will have to deal with Libya. I am very
concerned about ISIS getting their hands on the oilfields in Libya & being able to fund their operations. The fact is cool, calm, deliberate, effective, take care of the job, and then come home. That's what we need to do with our military foreign policy.
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Source: 2016 Fox News GOP debate in Detroit Michigan
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Principles & Values Feb 25, 2016)
Make America great again
My theme is make America great again. We don't win anymore. We don't win with trade, we don't win with the military. We can't even knock out ISIS.
We don't win in any capacity with healthcare. We're going to make a great country again. We're going to start winning again.
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Source: 2016 CNN-Telemundo Republican debate on eve of Texas primary
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(War & Peace Feb 13, 2016)
We've spent $5T in the Mideast and gotten nothing
Gov. Jeb BUSH: Donald Trump wants to accommodate Russia. Russia is not taking out ISIS. They're attacking our team, the team that we've been training and the team that we've been supporting. It is absolutely ludicrous to suggest that Russia could be a
positive partner in this. I would restore the military; the sequester needs to be reversed.Q [to Trump]: You said that you could get along very well with Vladimir Putin. You did say let Russia take care of ISIS.
TRUMP: Jeb is so wrong. You fight
ISIS first. You have to knock 'em out. You decide what to do after, you can't fight two wars at one time. If you listen to him, that's why we've been in the Middle East for 15 years, and we haven't won anything. We've spent $5 trillion dollars in
the Middle East with thinking like that. We've spent $5 trillion dollars; we have to rebuild our country. We have to rebuild our infrastructure. you listen to that you're going to be there for another 15 years. You'll end up with world war three.
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Source: 2016 CBS Republican primary debate in South Carolina
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(War & Peace Feb 6, 2016)
Get rid of ISIS, quickly: dry up their oil & their money
Q: You've said, "we've got to get rid of ISIS, quickly, quickly." How?TRUMP: Well, four years ago, I said, bomb the oil and take the oil. And if we did that, they wouldn't have the wealth they have right now. Now, we're doing little pinpricks.
If somebody's driving a truck, they give notice to the person driving the truck, "we're going to bomb." If they don't get out of the truck, the truck sails away with the oil. We don't want to bomb the oil, because we don't want to pollute the atmosphere.
Can you imagine General Douglas MacArthur or General Patton saying we can't bomb because we're gonna hurt the atmosphere? You have to knock the hell out of the oil. And you have also back channels of banking. You have people that you think are our great
allies in the Middle East, that are paying tremendous amounts of money to ISIS. So we have to stop those circuits. So between the oil and the banking, you will dry them up. But it should have been done four years ago, not now.
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Source: 2016 ABC Republican debate on eve of N.H. primary
Rand Paul on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jan 28, 2016)
Let's get warrants the old-fashioned way: via 4th Amendment
Sen. Rand PAUL: Ted Cruz said he was for NSA reform, but then he told Marco Rubio, "no, no, no, I voted for the bill because I'm for the government collecting 100% of your cell phone records."RUBIO: When I'm president we are going to rebuild our
intelligence capabilities. And they're going to tell us where the terrorists are. And if we capture any of these ISIS killers alive, they are going to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and we're going to find out everything they know.
PAUL: The bulk collection of
your phone data, the invasion of your privacy did not stop one terrorist attack. I don't think you have to give up your liberty for a false sense of security. When we look at this bulk collection, the court has looked at this. Even the court declared it
to be illegal. If we want to collect the records of terrorists, let's do it the old fashioned way. Let's use the Fourth Amendment. Let's put a name on a warrant, let's ask a judge for it. Let's respect the history of our country.
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Source: 2016 Fox News Republican two-tiered debate in Iowa
Barack Obama on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jan 20, 2016)
Self-defeating to overstate ISIS threat
As we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World War III just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks, twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages --
they pose an enormous danger to civilians; they have to be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence. That is the story ISIL wants to tell. That's the kind of propaganda they use to recruit.
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Source: 2016 State of the Union address to Congress
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jan 17, 2016)
Too much spent on Cold War; and too little spent on ISIS
Q: How do we best fight ISIS?Secretary CLINTON: We need better intelligence cooperation from friends and allies around the world.
Governor O'MALLEY: We need better biosurveillance systems, and better prepared first responders.
Senator SANDERS: I agree with what the secretary said, and what Governor O'Malley said. But here's an issue that we also should talk about. We have a $600 billion military budget.
It is a budget larger than the next eight countries'. Unfortunately, much of that budget continues to fight the old Cold War with the Soviet Union. Very little of that budget -- less than 10 percent -- actually goes into fighting
ISIS and international terrorism. We need to be thinking hard about making fundamental changes in the priorities of the Defense Department.
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Source: 2016 NBC Democratic presidential primary debate
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(War & Peace Jan 17, 2016)
Qatar is wealthy; needs to get skin in game against ISIS
Sen. Sanders asserted about fighting ISIS, "You have incredibly wealthy countries in that region, countries like Qatar. Qatar happens to be the largest -- wealthiest country per capita in the world. They have got to start putting in some skin in the game
and not just ask the United States to do it." Is that true? That Qatar is the wealthiest country in the world, in terms of individual income?We checked and indeed it's true. Comparing three different rating systems--the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), the World Bank, and the CIA--all three agree that Qatar has the highest per capita income in the world. Those three rating agencies don't agree on the exact income levels for other countries, but the
United States is rated, respectively, the 9th, 10th, and 12th wealthiest country in the world.
Our rating: Yes, Sanders is correct that the U.S. is funding the defense expenses of a country wealthier than the U.S.
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Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck on 2016 NBC Democratic debate
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jan 14, 2016)
Americans who join ISIS forfeit their citizenship
We need is a commander in chief who is focused like a laser on keeping this country safe and on defeating radical Islamic terrorism. First, we should pass the Expatriate Terrorist Act, legislation I've introduced that says if an American goes and joins
ISIS and wages jihad against America, that you forfeit your citizenship and you cannot come in on a passport. If I'm elected president, we will not let in refugees from countries controlled by ISIS or Al Qaida.
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Source: Fox Business Republican 2-tier debate
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(Gun Control Dec 19, 2015)
People have the right to buy guns, with sensible regulations
O'MALLEY: Senator Sanders voted against the Brady Bill. Senator Sanders voted to give immunity to gun dealers. What we need on this issue is not more polls. We need more principle.
When ISIL does videos that say the easiest way to get a combat assault weapon in the US is at a gun show, we should all be waking up. We need comprehensive gun safety legislation and a ban on assault weapons.SANDERS:
It's a country in which people choose to buy guns. More than half of the people in Vermont are gun owners. That's the right of people. I think we have to bring together the majority of the people who do believe in sensible gun safety regulations.
Who denies that it is crazy to allow people to own guns who are criminals or mentally unstable? We've got to eliminate the gun show loophole. We have got to see that weapons designed by the military to kill people are not in the hands of civilians.
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Source: 2015 ABC/WMUR Democratic primary debate in N.H.
Hillary Clinton on ISIS:
(Gun Control Dec 19, 2015)
Arming more people is not appropriate response to terrorism
O`MALLEY: Secretary Clinton changes her position on this every election year. When ISIL does videos that say the easiest way to get a combat assault weapon in the US is at a gun show, we should all be waking up.CLINTON: Guns, in and of themselves,
will not make Americans safer. We lose 33,000 people a year already to gun violence, arming more people to do what I think is not the appropriate response to terrorism. The first line of defense against radicalization is in Muslim-American community.
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Source: 2015 ABC/WMUR Democratic primary debate in N.H.
Hillary Clinton on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Dec 19, 2015)
FactCheck: No, ISIL doesn't cite Trump in recruitment videos
Hillary Clinton said, "We need to make sure that the really discriminatory messages that Trump is sending around the world don't fall on receptive ears. He is becoming ISIS's best recruiter. They are going to people showing videos of Donald Trump
insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists." Is that true?We checked, and it is not. ABC News reports that neither the White House nor National Security Council would back up Clinton's assertion.
According to Business Insider, "The Clinton campaign has since backpedaled slightly on its candidate's comments. A campaign spokesman pointed to a comment from an expert on ISIS propaganda that ISIS follows 'everything Donald Trump says' and points to
Trump's proposed Muslim ban as proof that America hates Muslims. Clinton 'didn't have a particular video in mind' when she made the comment, said another campaign spokesman; Trump is being used by ISIS in social-media propaganda.
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Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck on 2015 ABC/WMUR Dem. debate in N.H.
Hillary Clinton on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Dec 19, 2015)
Libyans refused much of what US offered as help
The president decided we would protect civilians on the ground and that led to the overthrow of Gadhafi. What Libya did by having a free election was an indication of their desire to get on the right path. The whole region has been rendered unstable, in
part because of the Arab Spring, in part because of the propagandizing that ISIS and other terrorist groups do. This is not easy work. We did as much as we could because the Libyans had strong feelings about what they wished to accept.
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Source: 2015 ABC/WMUR Democratic primary debate in N.H.
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(War & Peace Dec 19, 2015)
End perpetual warfare in the quagmire of the Middle East
I'm running for president because I want a new foreign policy; one that takes on Isis, one that destroys ISIS, but one that does not get us involved in perpetual warfare in the quagmire of the
Middle East but rather works around a major coalition of wealthy and powerful nations supporting Muslim troops on the ground. That's the kind of coalition we need and that's the kind of coalition I will put together.
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Source: 2015 ABC/WMUR Democratic primary debate in N.H.
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(War & Peace Dec 19, 2015)
Tell Qatar and Saudi Arabia that they must fight ISIS
There must be an international coalition, including Russia, a well-coordinated effort. This is a war for the soul of Islam. The troops on the ground should not be American troops. They should be Muslim troops.
I believe that countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have got to step up to the plate, have got to contribute the money that we need, and the troops that we need, to destroy ISIS with American support.
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Source: 2015 ABC/WMUR Democratic primary debate in N.H.
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Technology Dec 15, 2015)
Close our Internet up, to fight ISIS terrorist recruitment
Q: You recently suggested "closing that Internet up," as a way to stop ISIS from recruiting online. Some say that would put the US in line with China and North Korea.TRUMP: ISIS is recruiting through the Internet. ISIS is using the Internet better
than we are using the Internet, and it was our idea. I want to get our brilliant people from Silicon Valley and other places and figure out a way that ISIS cannot do what they're doing. You talk freedom of speech. I don't want them using our Internet to
take our young, impressionable youth. We should be using our most brilliant minds to figure a way that ISIS cannot use the Internet. And then we should be able to penetrate the Internet and find out exactly where ISIS is and everything about ISIS. And we
can do that if we use our good people.
Q: So, are you open to closing parts of the Internet?
TRUMP: I would certainly be open to closing areas where we are at war with somebody. I don't want to let people that want to kill us \use our Internet.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: 2015 CNN/Salem Republican two-tier debate
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(War & Peace Dec 15, 2015)
Assad is bad, but toppling him gives Syria to ISIS
Sen. Lindsey GRAHAM: To my good friend Ted Cruz, please ask him the following question, you say you would keep Assad in power, I will tell you that is the worst possible thing that could come out of an American leaders mouth. It would be disastrous.
Ted, getting in bed with Iran and Russia to save Assad is inconceivable.CRUZ: We need to learn from history. Obama, Clinton, and far too many Republicans--want to topple Assad. Assad is a bad man. But if we topple Assad, the result will be that
ISIS will take over Syria, and it will worsen U.S. national security interests. And I'll tell you whose view on Assad is the same as mine. It's Prime Minister Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said Israel doesn't have a dog in that fight because
Assad is a puppet of Iran, a Shia radical Islamic terrorist, but at the same time, Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn't want to see Syria governed by ISIS. And we need to focus on American interests, not on global aspirations...
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: 2015 CNN/Salem Republican second-tier debate
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(War & Peace Dec 15, 2015)
When terrorists join ISIS, they sign U.S. death warrant
Q [to Gov. Huckabee]: How would you defeat ISIS ideologically?HUCKABEE: If their intent is to kill us, [then] our intent to use every means possible to get to them before they get to us. The rules of engagement have got to be loosened, because we have
to make sure that we are not just going over and setting off some fireworks. We have to kill every one of them, to make it very clear that [if you] threaten action against the United States, and you've just signed your death warrant. We're coming to get
you. And you won't be coming to our shores. You're going to be going to your funeral.
CRUZ: ISIS is gaining strength because the perception is that they're winning. And President Obama fuels that perception. That will change when militants across the
globe see that when you join ISIS that you are giving up your life, you are signing your death warrant, and we need a president who is focused on defeating every single ISIS terrorist and protecting the homeland, which should be the first priority.
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: 2015 CNN/Salem Republican two-tier debate
John Kasich on ISIS:
(Principles & Values Nov 22, 2015)
Need to promote Western values to win war of ideas
Q: You proposed creating a government agency to promote Judeo-Christian values around the world, particularly to the Middle East, this comes across as a little anti-Islam. Tell me why I'm wrong.KASICH: The Western ethic, what is it about?
It's about life, it's about equality of women, it's about the freedom of religion. I'm not talking about going to church. I proposed some time ago a comprehensive plan to deal with ISIS, including boots on the ground, a coalition including Arabs, etc.
But we have to also engage in the battle of ideas when we have many people looking for meaning in life somewhere other than Western civilization.
Q: One of the criticisms, though, is that you're making a clash of civilizations argument.
KASICH: We want to agree and work together with people who share the view that the path to murder does not get you to paradise. When we win the military battle, what comes next? What we've got to make sure of is that we stop the radicalization of people.
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Rand Paul on ISIS:
(War & Peace Nov 22, 2015)
Only Sunni-Shiite coalition forces, not US, in Syria
Q: You have consistently been cautioning your party about overseas military involvements. But has the growth of ISIS changed your mindset in terms of this argument that you've got to go get them there?PAUL: I think the first thing we have to do is
learn from our history. In the past several decades, if there's one true thing in the Middle East, it's that when we've toppled secular dictators, we've gotten chaos and the rise of radical Islam. So if we want a long lasting victory and peace,
the boots on the ground are going to have to be Arab, and you're going to have to have Sunni Muslims defeating Sunni Muslims because even the Shiite Muslims can't occupy these Sunni cities. ISIS is essentially surrounded, but what we have
to do is, we do need a ceasefire in Syria, and probably Russia's going to be part of that solution if we're willing to talk with them, but we also need to engage Turkey on one side. We need to engage the Kurds on one side.
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: CBS Face the Nation 2015 coverage:2016 presidential hopefuls
John Kasich on ISIS:
(Technology Nov 17, 2015)
Broadcast Judeo-Christian values abroad, to help defeat ISIS
As part of a broad national security plan to defeat ISIS, Republican Presidential candidate John Kasich proposed creating a new government agency to push Judeo-Christian values around the world. The new agency, which he hasn't yet named, would promote a
Jewish- and Christian-based belief system to four regions of the world: China, Iran, Russia and the Middle East."We need to beam messages around the world" about the freedoms Americans enjoy,
Kasich said. "It means freedom, it means opportunity, it means respect for women, it means freedom to gather, it means so many things."
The US already has a government-funded broadcast system in Voice of America,
which broadcasts American news and programming abroad. The radio, television and digital audience reaches up to 188 million people per week.
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: 2016 presidential hopefuls on Syrian Refugees by NBC News
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(Energy & Oil Nov 14, 2015)
Climate change partly causes rise of terrorist groups
Q: You say you want to rid the planet of ISIS. In the previous debate you said the greatest threat to national security was climate change. Do you still believe that?
SANDERS: Absolutely. In fact, climate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism.
And if we do not get our act together and listen to what the scientists say, you're going to see countries all over the world--this is what the
CIA says--they're going to be struggling over limited amounts of water, limited amounts of land to grow their crops ask you're going to see all kinds of international conflict.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2015 CBS Democratic primary debate in Iowa
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Nov 14, 2015)
Rid our planet of this barbarous organization called ISIS
Q: Your thoughts about the ISIS attacks in Paris?SANDERS: Together, leading the world, this country will rid our planet of this barbarous organization called ISIS.
O'MALLEY: ISIS, make no mistake about it, is an evil in this world.
Q [to Clinton]:
Was ISIS underestimated? In 2014, the president referred to ISIS as the "J.V."
CLINTON: ISIS has developed [since 2014]. I think that there are many other reasons why it has in addition to what happened in the region, but
I don't think that the United States has the bulk of the responsibility. I really put that on Assad and on the Iraqis and on the region itself.
SANDERS: She said the bulk of the responsibility is not ours.
Well, in fact, I would argue that the disastrous invasion of Iraq, something that I strongly opposed, has unraveled the region completely and led to the rise of al-Qaeda and to ISIS.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: 2015 CBS Democratic primary debate in Iowa
Rand Paul on ISIS:
(War & Peace Nov 10, 2015)
Arming al Qaeda let it become ISIS
I wouldn't arm our enemies. I wouldn't arm ISIS. Most of the people who want the no-fly zone also favored arming the allies of al Qaeda, which became ISIS. That was the dumbest, most foolhardy notion. Most of the people up here supported it.
They wanted to arm the allies of al Qaeda. Some of them still do. That's how ISIS grew. We pushed back Assad, and ISIS was allowed to grow in the vacuum.
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Principles & Values Oct 28, 2015)
I will negotiate until American is great again
Our country doesn't win anymore. We lose on trade. We lose with ISIS. CNBC, they had it [this debate] down at three, three and a half hours. We called in, we said, that's it. We're not doing it. They lost a lot of money, everybody said it couldn't be
done. Everybody said it was going to be three hours, three and a half, including them, and in about two minutes I renegotiated it so we can get the hell out of here. Not bad. I'll do that with the country. We will make America great again.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: GOP "Your Money/Your Vote" 2015 CNBC 1st-tier debate
Barack Obama on ISIS:
(War & Peace Sep 28, 2015)
We will not be outlasted by extremists
When a terrorist group beheads captives, slaughters the innocent and enslaves women, that's not a single nation's national security problem -- that is an assault on all humanity. There is no room for accommodating an apocalyptic cult like ISIL, and the
United States makes no apologies for using our military, as part of a broad coalition, to go after them. We do so with a determination that there will never be a safe haven for terrorists. We will not be outlasted by extremists.
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: Remarks by Pres.Obama to the United Nations General Assembly
John Kasich on ISIS:
(Principles & Values Sep 16, 2015)
Battle radicals by showing greatness of west
You win the bigger war with the battle of ideas. You wonder why young people, educated people, and rich people have tried to join ISIS. We need to wake up to the fact that those murderers and rapists need to be called out, and in
Western civilization we need to make it clear that our faith in the Jewish and Christian principals force us to live a life bigger than ourselves. Make sure that all of our people feel fulfilled in living in Western civilization.
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(War & Peace Aug 30, 2015)
Middle Eastern countries must contribute to fight ISIS
The US cannot defeat this evil alone. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has the third largest military budget in the entire world. They're going to have to get in and take on ISIS as well as other countries in that region.
The US should be supportive; we should be working with other countries. But we cannot always be the only country involved in these wars.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: ABC This Week 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Amy Klobuchar on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Aug 24, 2015)
Tackle terrorist groups, and stand up for Israel
Internationalism involves security policies that will protect our county's citizens in an unstable, increasingly volatile world. This means providing our military with adequate funding. It means tackling the pure evil of terrorist groups like
Al-Qaeda and ISIS, but doing so whenever possible with other partners. It means standing up for Israel--a beacon of democracy in the Middle East--while working toward a two-state solution, one that will ensure the long-term security of
Israelis and Palestinians who yearn for peace. And it means knowing that our country cannot abandon innocent people on a mountaintop--in 2014,
Minnesota airmen airlifted food and water to Yazidis and Christians forced from their homes and trapped by ISIS militants on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq--or put our heads in the sand in the face of Vladimir Putin's aggression.
Click for Amy Klobuchar on other issues.
Source: The Senator Next Door, by Amy Klobuchar, p.269
John Kasich on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Aug 16, 2015)
Make a coalition to fight ISIS in Syria
Q: There was another beheading at the hands of ISIS. If you were sitting in the Oval Office now, would you commit more ground troops to fight ISIS?
A: I would be working to get other countries to jump in and join us. I don't want to go alone. Let me tell you what I would do.
Firstly, I would have supported the rebels in Syria that were in there to topple Assad.
Secondly, I would have a coalition of other countries, including us, on the ground beginning to degrade and destroy ISIS, because, as you begin to do it, that whole caliphate beings to fall apart.
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Rand Paul on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Aug 6, 2015)
Stop funding & arming allies of ISIS
Q: You recently blamed the rise of ISIS on Republican hawks. You later added, "Everything they've talked about in foreign policy, they've been wrong for the last 20 years." Why are you so quick to blame your own party?
PAUL: First of all, only ISIS is responsible for the terrorism. Only ISIS is responsible for the depravity. But, we do have to examine, how are we going to defeat ISIS? I've got a proposal.
I'm the leading voice in America for not arming the allies of ISIS. I've been fighting amidst a lot of opposition from both Hillary Clinton, as well as some Republicans who wanted to send arms to the allies of ISIS. ISIS rides around in a billion dollars
worth of US Humvees. It's a disgrace. We shouldn't fund our enemies, for goodness sakes. So, we didn't create ISIS--ISIS created themselves, but we will stop them, and one of the ways we stop them is by not funding them, and not arming them.
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: Fox News/Facebook Top Ten First Tier debate transcript
John Kasich on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Jul 26, 2015)
Fight ISIS with a coalition including US ground troops
Q: Biggest, toughest foreign policy challenge for the next president?KASICH: Well, I think radical Islam really is number one. And, you know, I've said all along we should have a coalition.
We should be there, including boots on the ground. And we need to degrade and destroy ISIS. Number one.
Q: You would be sending more troops?
KASICH: Well, I would have them in a role where they're going to be on the ground fighting. I mean, you've got the air power, but you can't solve anything just with air power.
But I would be part of a coalition and I would take them down and begin to destroy the caliphate.
Click for John Kasich on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Rand Paul on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jul 26, 2015)
Increase targeted surveillance to defend against terrorism
Q: You would limit foreign intervention and domestic surveillance--but now with ISIS on the march, there's a concern that you aren't tough enough on those issues.PAUL: There was a poll not too long ago in Iowa that asked, do you think we should be
more involved in foreign wars, like John McCain, who wants to be everywhere all the time, or do you think we should be less involved or more judicious and only go to war when we have a threat to an American interest, like Rand Paul?
And it polls equally in Iowa. So I think the party is split on some of these things. I do want to defend America. In fact, I think we are distracting ourselves from the real terrorist threat by collecting so much information that we get inundated by the
information and we get distracted. I want to collect more information on terrorists, but I want to do it according to the 4th Amendment--which puts forward that suspicion should be individualized and there should be a warrant with a judge's name on it.
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Apr 19, 2015)
We need a strong military, but stop wasting tens of billions
Q: You want a 50% cut in military spending at a time when ISIS and al Qaeda are on the march--SANDERS: What I do believe is that there is enormous waste in military.
The Department of Defense can't even audit itself--massive cost overruns. Of course, ISIS is a terrible organization that has to be defeated.
And, of course, we need a strong military. But just as with every other agency of government, you know what, the military also has got to get rid of waste and fraud and cost overruns.
So, I want a strong military. But I do not believe, among other things, that without an audit, we should be throwing tens of billions of dollars more into the Department of Defense.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2015 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Rand Paul on ISIS:
(War & Peace Apr 12, 2015)
I brought fighting ISIS to the forefront of discussion
Before Christmas, I actually introduced a declaration of war against ISIS I tried to attach it to a water bill, which annoyed some people. And people were like, "Why are you attaching a war resolution to a water bill?"Well, that's all they'll let me
attach it to. But I forced them to debate. And I think that's one of the things to me that has been most exciting about being in the Senate, is I could be at home saying, "Congress should declare war," and, "Why won't Congress get involved?"
But now, I'm actually there. And I can say, "You know what? I'll make them vote on this. And they will have to discuss war." And they did. We had a great discussion. It didn't come to a resolution, but I'm still pushing to say, "Look, you
should not be at war." And in fact, I've said the president, if he wanted to be a great leader last August should have come before a joint session of Congress and laid out the plan.
Click for Rand Paul on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(War & Peace Feb 8, 2015)
Focused, direct military objective of destroying ISIS
Q: You've said that the answer is to bomb ISIS back to the Stone Age. Most experts say that will not be enough, that you will need ground forces as well. Would you call up American forces if others don't step up?CRUZ: We have boots on the ground
already with the Kurds. But our government is not providing military weapons effectively to the Kurds. Instead, they're shuttling it all to Baghdad, and Baghdad is very slow in getting it to the Kurds.
Q: But if that's not enough, would you be willing
to send American ground troops into that battle?
CRUZ: Look, we need to accomplish the mission and the mission should be defeating ISIS before they succeed in carrying out more horrific acts of terror. If need be, we should go that step. The problem
is, right now, the Obama-Clinton-Kerry foreign policy has been consistently wrong on ISIS. Our photo-op foreign policy, where we drop a bomb here or a missile there. We need a focused, direct military objective of taking out and destroying ISIS.
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: ABC This Week 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Barack Obama on ISIS:
(War & Peace Feb 7, 2015)
ISIS, like the Crusades, doesn't mean religion is violent
The controversy over Pres. Obama comparing ISIS to the Crusades is not unique to some other place: remember that during the Crusades, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ. Was Obama's comment downplaying the threat of violent Islamism?
Obama's point was actually pretty simple: Let's not pretend that Islam itself is to blame for ISIS or that Muslims are inherently more violent, he suggested, because the problem of religious violence is not exclusive to any one religion.
Many critics have described Obama's assertion that Christians are equivalent to Muslims as insulting to Christians. Other critics have charged that Obama is ignoring the real threat: that America is at war not just with extremists who happen to be
Muslim, but rather with Islam itself. This comment, given to the New York Times, is simply breathtaking in its open assertion that America should declare war on the 1.6 billion Muslims who are overwhelmingly civilians and are largely women and children:
Click for Barack Obama on other issues.
Source: Max Fisher on vox.com weblog, "Crusades controversy"
Donald Trump on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Jan 24, 2015)
Defeat ISIS and stop Islamic terrorists
Businessman and celebrity Donald Trump got a standing ovation from most of the crowd at the Iowa Freedom Summit as he blasted rank-and-file Republican politicians and described President Barack Obama as either grossly incompetent or having ulterior
motives in leading the country: "I know what needs to be done to make America great again. We can make this country great again. The potential is enormous and I am seriously thinking of running for president,"
Trump remarked as the crowd cheered.Trump said the country is in trouble and if he wins the presidency he would defeat ISIS and stop Islamic terrorists.
He said he would reduce the federal budget deficit and build a fence on the nation's southern border to stop illegal immigration, adding, "I mean seriously securing" the border.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Des Moines Register on 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit
Mike Pence on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Jan 13, 2015)
We're in a global war of civilization against barbarism
The evil that came to the streets of Paris last week [in the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo] may seem far removed, but the brutal murder of our own Peter Kassig, a courageous aid worker killed by ISIS terrorists, is a stark reminder that we are
all part of a global war of civilization against barbarism.Tonight, Hoosiers will be proud to know that on the front lines of that war are some 300 airmen with our 122nd Fighter Wing out of Fort Wayne--the largest deployment of the
Indiana Air National Guard in the past ten years. To them and their families, some of whom are with us tonight, we thank you for your service.
You are in our prayers. Please join with me in showing our gratitude to all those who serve at home and abroad in these uncertain times.
Click for Mike Pence on other issues.
Source: State of the State address to 2015 Indiana Legislature
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 19, 2014)
Bomb ISIS back to the Stone Age
Q: In the US-led air assault against ISIS, you said we ought to "bomb them back to the Stone Age." It does not appear that bombing alone is going to make that happen, that ISIS will not disappear with a US-led air assault. That being the case,
where do you see the role, if any, of US military personnel?CRUZ: Well, unfortunately, the approach of the Obama administration to ISIS has been fundamentally unserious. We have dropped a bomb here, a missile there, but it has really been a photo
op foreign policy. What we need is a concentrated, directive military objective to take ISIS out. Now, what does that entail? A far more vigorous air campaign than we're seeing. We're dropping a fraction of the ordnance that we have in other
campaigns such as Afghanistan.
Q: Do you think it will involve US troops?
CRUZ: Well, there are over 1,500 on the ground right now. But we have a tremendous asset on the ground right now, which is the Kurds, [whom we should arm].
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2014 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 19, 2014)
Arm & aid the Peshmerga Kurds against ISIS
Q: Do you think the fight against ISIS will involve US troops?CRUZ: Well, there are over 1,500 on the ground right now. But we have a tremendous asset on the ground right now, which is the Kurds. The Peshmerga have been strong allies of the US.
They are effective fighters. And they desperately need weaponry and assistance. And, for whatever reason, the Obama administration has been delaying aiding the Peshmerga, has been running it all through Baghdad, instead of aiding them directly, and
has been blocking them from selling oil, which doesn't make sense. And the Obama administration keeps focusing on Syrian rebels, many of whom have far too close ties to radical Islamic terrorists for it to make any sense for us to be supporting them.
The Kurds are allies and they are boots on the ground. And when we work with them in concert, they're ready to fight on the front line, along with serious airpower. If it were a military objective to take ISIS out, I think that's what we would be doing.
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2014 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 12, 2014)
Get Saudis & regional powers involved with fighting ISIS
Q: You have warned that you think ISIS is dangerous & needs to be stopped.SANDERS: ISIS is a brutal, awful, dangerous army and they have got to be defeated. But this is not just an American problem. This is an international crisis. This is a regional
crisis. And I think the people of America are getting sick and tired of the world and the region, Saudi Arabia and the other countries saying "hey, we don't have to do anything about it. The American taxpayer, the American soldiers will do all the work
for us." Most people don't know is that Saudi Arabia is the 4th largest defense spender in the world, more than the U.K., more than France. They have an army which is probably seven times larger than ISIS. They have a major air force.
Q: Sure. But they
have shown no sign at all that they want to go in and neither have the Jordanians.
SANDERS: The question that we have got to ask is why are the nations in the region not more actively involved? Why don't they see this as a crisis situation?
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2014 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Bernie Sanders on ISIS:
(War & Peace Oct 12, 2014)
Arm the Peshmerga against ISIS, as international effort
Q: The role so far that the US is playing against ISIS, is that just about right?SANDERS: No. It has to be an international effort.
Q: Would you support arming the Peshmerga, the Kurdish forces?
SANDERS: Yes. I think we should arm them--even
that's a difficult issue to make sure that the people that we arm today don't turn against us tomorrow. But I think providing arms for those people who we can trust and providing air support is in fact something we should be doing.
Q: Would it be
confined to the Peshmerga? I know that you voted against arming and training Syrian rebels. So is there a difference to you between the Peshmerga and the Syrian rebels?
SANDERS: We have been at war for 12 years. We have spent trillions of dollars.
We have 500,000 young men and women who have come up--come home with PTSD and TBI. What I do not want and I fear very much is the US getting sucked into a quagmire and being involved in perpetual warfare year after year after year. That is my fear.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: CNN SOTU 2014 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Hillary Clinton on ISIS:
(Foreign Policy Oct 8, 2014)
ISIL is more advanced and well-funded than al Qaeda
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the serious threat posed by Islamic State, saying the group is far more advanced and well-funded than al Qaeda ever was. "This is the best funded, most professional, expansionist Jihadist military force
that we have seen ever," she said.Clinton backed the strategies of the Obama administration in confronting Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL. She described ISIL as not just a major risk to the stability of
Middle East, but likely to try attacks on Western targets if given the opportunity.
The remarks came during a friendly interview with Chicago investor and philanthropist J.B. Pritzker who served as national co-chairman of the former first lady's
2008 presidential campaign. While touching on foreign affairs, Mrs. Clinton also weaved in personal stories about her childhood in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge and her assessment of Congress.
Click for Hillary Clinton on other issues.
Source: Mark Peters in Wall Street Journal, "ISIS strongest threat"
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Sep 18, 2014)
Americans who join ISIS should be barred from coming home
Cruz introduced a measure to block Americans who join Islamic State from returning to the country. The proposal failed, but while describing it, he criticized Obama's handling of the threat: "The administration's
ISIS policy is also marked by internal confusion that further demonstrates a lack of focus on what should be our clear mission," he said.
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: Reuters 2014 coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Ted Cruz on ISIS:
(Homeland Security Mar 7, 2014)
Deploy missile defense with Czechs & Poles, to limit Putin
Cruz said the GOP needed restore America's leadership in the world. He called ISIS "the face of evil" and said, "We ought to bomb them back to the Stone Age." He also had suggestions for a stronger stance against Russia: "The state of the world is
that the Russian bear is encountering the Obama kitty cat," he said. To send a strong message to Putin, missile defense systems should to be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Click for Ted Cruz on other issues.
Source: Cruzing to the White House, by Mario Broes, p. 99
Page last updated: Mar 01, 2022
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