State of New Jersey Archives: on War & Peace

Tom MacArthur: Learn from mistakes of both Bush and Obama: no endless wars

Jeff Bell: Make sure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapons program

A: Strongly Oppose. We need to make sure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapons program.

Cory Booker: Direct military intervention in Syria only as last resort

Murray Sabrin: No involvement in Iraq's civil war

An acolyte of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, the only Republican presidential candidate to oppose the war, Sabrin also put a 6-minute video of himself sitting on a couch delivering an open message to McCain: "Stop trying to convince the American people you are right about our involvement in Iraq's civil war," Sabrin said. "Let's have some straight talk my friend: I am not going to convince you that your position is wrong, and you are not going to convince 75 percent of New Jersey voters you are right."

Murray Sabrin: War in Iraq is disastrous interventionist foreign policy

In July 1990, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq told Saddam Hussein that his border dispute with Kuwait was none of our business. After Saddam invaded Kuwait, President George H. W. Bush assembled a coalition of several hundred thousand troops led by the United States and ousted the Iraqi army from Kuwait. The quick success of the Gulf War in early 1991 and the stationing of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia was followed by the first World Trade Center attack in February 1993. Blowback?

President George W. Bush took America to war in Iraq, resulting in an unprecedented backlash against America around the world, after he campaigned in 2000 calling for a 'humble foreign policy" and "no nation building." Only Rep. Ron Paul, in the Republican presidential debates, has spoken the truth about our disastrous interventionist foreign policy.

Robert Menendez: Iraq is a war of choice; based on misleading & false threats

MENENDEZ: I’m proud to have voted against Bush’s war in Iraq right from the start--even when it was unpopular to do so. The Bush administration failed to make the case that Iraq was an imminent threat to our national security. Moreover, there was no conclusive evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. This was a war of choice, not a war of necessity. The Bush administration misled the American people with faulty premises and false promises. Tom Kean Jr. is wrong on Iraq. It’s time to end the open-ended commitment of US forces in Iraq.

KEAN: Bob Menendez is weak on national defense. He is a “dove,” who sides with the extreme-left wing of his party, unless it’s politically opportune to do otherwise. Hindsight is always 20/20 and the real debate is about how we move forward in Iraq. I want our troops to come home safely and as soon as possible, but “cut and run” is not a solution, it’s a declaration of defeat.

Robert Menendez: Biggest mistake in Iraq was going there in the first place

KEAN: The tragic attacks on Sept. 11 refocused our foreign policy objectives. The current wars in Afghanistan & Iraq are extensions of that new focus. We all want to bring our soldiers home as expeditiously as possible, but we must complete our military and diplomatic objectives. I agree with Sen. McCain’s assessment, that while “we have made serious mistakes” in Iraq, a mandated timetable could possibly incite “full-scale civil war.”

MENENDEZ: To say we’ve merely “made mistakes” in Iraq is to ignore the gravity of the current situation. The biggest mistake Pres. Bush made was sending our sons & daughters off to war in the first place. Amazingly, Tom Kean Jr. still says he would have voted for the war--even with all that we know today. America’s worldwide troop deployment must reflect our priorities in the fight against terrorism. The Bush administration never finished the job in Afghanistan--the launch pad for the 9/11 attacks.

Thomas Kean Jr.: We’ve made mistakes in Iraq, but must complete our objective

KEAN: The tragic attacks on Sept. 11 refocused our foreign policy objectives. The current wars in Afghanistan & Iraq are extensions of that new focus. We all want to bring our soldiers home as expeditiously as possible, but we must complete our military and diplomatic objectives. I agree with Sen. McCain’s assessment, that while “we have made serious mistakes” in Iraq, a mandated timetable could possibly incite “full-scale civil war.”

MENENDEZ: To say we’ve merely “made mistakes” in Iraq is to ignore the gravity of the current situation. The biggest mistake Pres. Bush made was sending our sons & daughters off to war in the first place. Amazingly, Tom Kean Jr. still says he would have voted for the war--even with all that we know today. America’s worldwide troop deployment must reflect our priorities in the fight against terrorism. The Bush administration never finished the job in Afghanistan--the launch pad for the 9/11 attacks.

Thomas Kean Jr.: Can’t cut-and-run in Iraq; that’s a declaration of defeat

MENENDEZ: I’m proud to have voted against Bush’s war in Iraq right from the start--even when it was unpopular to do so. The Bush administration failed to make the case that Iraq was an imminent threat to our national security. Moreover, there was no conclusive evidence that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. This was a war of choice, not a war of necessity. The Bush administration misled the American people with faulty premises and false promises. Tom Kean Jr. is wrong on Iraq. It’s time to end the open-ended commitment of US forces in Iraq.

KEAN: Bob Menendez is weak on national defense. He is a “dove,” who sides with the extreme-left wing of his party, unless it’s politically opportune to do otherwise. Hindsight is always 20/20 and the real debate is about how we move forward in Iraq. I want our troops to come home safely and as soon as possible, but “cut and run” is not a solution, it’s a declaration of defeat.