The Iowa Freedom Summit & Ag Summit (preparation for Iowa Caucus): on Foreign Policy
Hillary Clinton:
We spend a lot on development aid, even in war zones
Gov. O'MALLEY: We are not so very good at anticipating threats and appreciating just how difficult it is to build up stable democracies, to make the investments and sustainable development that we must as a nation if we are to attack the root causes of
these sorts of instability. CLINTON: Well, I think it's perfectly fair to say that we invested quite a bit in development aid. Some of the bravest people that I had the privilege of working with as secretary of state were our development professionals
who went sometimes alone, sometimes with our military, into very dangerous places in Iraq, in Afghanistan, elsewhere. So, there does need to be a whole of government approach, but just because we're involved and we have
a strategy doesn't mean we're going to be able to dictate the outcome. These are often very long- term kinds of investments that have to be made.
Source: 2015 CBS Democratic primary debate in Iowa
Nov 14, 2015
Mike Huckabee:
Globalists & corporatists are making US more like China
Expressing deep skepticism of proposed free trade agreements, Mike Huckabee warned in Iowa that the US is becoming like communist China. The former Arkansas governor recalled a trip he took to China last year during his appearance at an agricultural
summit that drew a number of potential Republican 2016 candidates to the state fairgrounds."In China, I felt like they were becoming more like America used to be," he told a crowd of some 900 activists. "But, sadly,
America is becoming more like they used to be. Our government is becoming more oppressive; theirs is beginning to ease up. We have a lot of globalists and frankly corporatists instead of having
nationalists who put forward the best interests of the United States and working families," he added.
Source: Politico.com coverage of 2015 Iowa Agricultural Summit
Mar 7, 2015
Mike Huckabee:
Keep the Cuban embargo; lifting it rewards Cuba
Huckabee was asked why the government has kept the embargo in place against Cuba, even as trade barriers with China have been lifted. Huckabee said that Cuba must make serious concessions before the embargo is scaled back. He said President Barack Obama
is sending the wrong message: "If my parents had raised me that way, I'd have been a monster," he said. "They didn't reward me with ice cream & candy every time I did something horrible. Don't give the Chinese and Cubans ice cream & candy," he added.
Source: Politico.com coverage of 2015 Iowa Agricultural Summit
Mar 7, 2015
Rick Perry:
Easing restrictions on Cuba hurts the Cuban people
Perry said that Cuba got the better half of its bargain with the US earlier this year. "We got the way short end of that deal," Perry said in a speech at the inaugural Iowa Agriculture Summit. "We got a bad deal. This administration basically
empowered the Castro regime with no thought of the Cuban people."Perry's remarks took aim at President Obama's decision in January to normalize relations with Havana. The US eased travel and trade restrictions on Cuba as part of the landmark deal.
Perry took issue with Obama's diplomatic priorities. He said the president's decision to deal with Raul Castro, Cuba's dictator, hurts everyday Cubans. "This president missed the point on Cuba's relationship with its people,"
Perry said. "Cuba has been incredibly onerous to its people" Perry said trading with Castro's Cuba was unlikely to change the communist nation's ways. "I'm not sure you can change the culture of Cuba until Castro is dead and gone," he said.
Source: The Hill weblog coverage of 2015 Iowa Ag Summit
Mar 7, 2015
Carly Fiorina:
I've accomplished something by traveling around the world
Carly Fiorina pitted herself against likely Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton at the Iowa Freedom Summit, sparking some of the event's most boisterous applause. With a calm tone and polished delivery, Fiorina introduced herself to Iowans
as a business-savvy outsider, the kind capable of creating real change in government. "Like Hillary Clinton, I too have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the globe," Fiorina said. "But unlike her, I've actually accomplished something."
Source: Des Moines Register on 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit
Jan 24, 2015
John Bolton:
America is a benign force globally
What should the voters of Iowa and other key states do in judging presidential candidates for next year?- Voters should reject any candidate who treats national security policy in a dismissive or off-hand way. It is not enough to 'check the box'
by mentioning foreign policy every once in a while.
- Candidates should be proudly patriotic. They should assert that a strong American international presence is positive and necessary for us and our allies, and say clearly that
America is a benign force globally, providing order and stability, providing the foundations for the interlocking, global economy and our way of life here at home.
- Candidates must demonstrate they understand how closely interwoven
domestic and foreign policy are. A strong economy depends on that strong international presence. These are not alternative priorities, but are inextricably connected.
Source: John Bolton speech transcript from 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit
Jan 24, 2015
Mike Huckabee:
Islamic terrorism is the country's most pressing issue
The 2008 presidential candidate who won the Iowa caucuses cycled through conservative positions throughout his 22-minute speech, calling Islamic terrorism the country's most pressing foreign policy issue,
reiterating his opposition to federal intervention on the legalization of same-sex marriage, dismissing the need for an increased minimum wage and backing a flat income tax.
Huckabee was specifically dismissive of economic inequality as a political issue, telling the crowd that "liberals"
would press it in the coming presidential campaign but that "intelligence inequality" was a bigger problem.
Source: Des Moines Register on 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit
Jan 24, 2015
Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018