State of Ohio Archives: on War & Peace
Jim Renacci:
No nuke deal with Iran, the #1 state sponsor of terrorism
Q: Iran: Withdraw from treaty limiting Iran's nuclear capability & lifting some sanctions?Sherrod Brown (D): No. Use remaining sanctions instead of unraveling agreement.
Jim Renacci (R): Yes. Called Iran #1 state sponsor of terrorism.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Ohio Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Sherrod Brown:
Keep nuke deal with Iran, but use remaining sanctions
Q: Iran: Withdraw from treaty limiting Iran's nuclear capability & lifting some sanctions?Sherrod Brown (D): No. Use remaining sanctions instead of unraveling agreement.
Jim Renacci (R): Yes. Called Iran #1 state sponsor of terrorism.
Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Ohio Senate race
Oct 9, 2018
Mike Gibbons:
Avoid foreign entanglements
Q: Do you support or oppose the statement, "Avoid foreign entanglements"?
A: Support
Source: OnTheIssues interview of 2018 Ohio Senate candidate
Apr 24, 2018
Josh Mandel:
War in Iraq was just and for a good cause
[On his armed service record]: "Iraq has changed the way I see the world and painted a clearer picture of how the world sees me as an American," Mandel wrote as his first deployment came to an end.
Describing the war as "just and for a good cause," Mandel expressed his hope that "the American people will be able to stomach the sacrifice required to accomplish this complicated mission of destroying terrorism and developing democracy."
Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Nov 20, 2017
Josh Mandel:
War in Iraq was just and for a good cause
[On Iraq War]: "Iraq has changed the way I see the world and painted a clearer picture of how the world sees me as an American," Mandel wrote as his first deployment came to an end. Describing the war as "just and for a good cause,"
Mandel expressed his hope that "the American people will be able to stomach the sacrifice required to accomplish this complicated mission of destroying terrorism and developing democracy."
Source: The Cleveland Plain-Dealer on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Nov 20, 2017
Nan Whaley:
U.S. should take in Syrian refugees
Nan Whaley advocated for the
United States to accept more Syrian refugees.
Source: Dayton Daily News on 2018 Ohio Gubernatorial race
May 8, 2017
Sherrod Brown:
Pull soldiers out of Iraq and Afghanistan and end wars
Sen. Sherrod Brown 100 percent supports President Barack Obama's decision to pull soldiers from Iraq and end a war campaign that began a decade ago. He would also welcome a similar resolution in Afghanistan.
Brown offered his opinions on war, politics and aiding veterans in an exclusive interview with the Register. Brown said, "A lot of politicians vote to fund wars, but they're not willing to support veterans."
Source: Sandusky Register on 2018 Ohio Senate race
Jan 1, 2017
P.G. Sittenfeld:
Keep the conversation going with ISIS, including nukes
Q: What about Iran & ISIS?A: Iran is very much in the news; you all might expect somebody like Rob Portman to exercise thoughtful, sensible leadership, but we saw anything but that when he signed on to Tom Cotton's letter to the leaders of Iran
[taking a hard line against nuclear development and against President Obama's nuclear deal]. So much of this is about judgement -- not about whether you're in your early 30s or 75, or whether you've been in Washington for a quarter of a century.
Q: We're not talking about age as much as about experience. How would you prepare for issues like Iran and ISIS, and for issues that you have not faced?
A: The same way that you all would: you study; you talk to experts;
you think things through; you engage stakeholders; you listen to your constituents. For something like Iran, how I would actually approach that, the current framework lets us continue the conversation.
Source: OTI transcript of Cincinnati Enquirer: 2016 Ohio Senate race
May 12, 2015
P.G. Sittenfeld:
Trust but verify with Iran; the alternative is war
Q: Talk about how you'll prepare for global decision-making: ISIS, Iran, Israel?A: There are three big things that we need to be looking for: (and this is a glimpse into my judgement and how I would approach something):
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Relative to the sanctions, do they go away as soon as the deal is inked, or do they go away once we see that the Iranians have done what they said they'd do? In the event of a violation of the deal, do the sanctions automatically snap back in, or not?
That's what I'd be looking for.
- Do we have a comprehensive and effective system for inspections? Ronald Reagan said "Trust but verify." We need to make sure that comes out of the deal.
We should ask 'what are the alternatives?'
We have three possibilities: sanctions; war; or walk away. I don't think Rob Portman has thought about those alternatives. The last time we walked away, Iran went from 3,000 centrifuges to about 17,000.
Source: OTI transcript of Cincinnati Enquirer: 2016 Ohio Senate race
May 12, 2015
P.G. Sittenfeld:
Supports targeted airstrikes against ISIS
Q: What should we be doing about ISIS?A: There is evil in the world, and ISIS is perpetuating a lot of it. I look with the same horror when they videotape beheadings and other brutal acts of violence -- I share that horror and
I understand he natural reaction of people saying, 'We need to do something about this.' But it's also important to be mindful of the fact that ISIS wants to goad America.
They want to goad us into a certain course of action, part of which is putting ground troops into the region. The reality is that ISIS is a serious threat, but they are a much more immediate threat to some of our allies in the region --
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan. So I support the current policy of targeted airstrikes, but in terms of boots on the ground, those need to be supplied by some of our allies, by our friends in the Muslim world.
Source: OTI transcript of Cincinnati Enquirer: 2016 Ohio Senate race
May 12, 2015
Josh Mandel:
Two tours of duty in Iraq as a U.S. Marine
Republican Josh Mandel has launched his first TV ad in his quest to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. The biographical ad, titled "Boots," will appear on broadcast and cable outlets across Ohio starting on Wednesday.
It focuses on Mandel's two tours of duty in Iraq as a U.S. Marine.
Source: Coshocton Tribune's 2012 Ohio Senate ad review
Apr 19, 2012
Michael Pryce:
We are world police; Iran likely already has a nuclear bomb
Iran likely already has a nuclear bomb and a way to initiate its use, said Pryce, who served in military intelligence.
The U.S. must be ready to defend Israel "by whatever means it takes," he said. "We have to be the world policeman in this issue."
Source: Cleveland Jewish News coverage of 2012 Ohio Senate Debates
Mar 1, 2012
Michael Pryce:
No military nor development funding for Afghanistan
Q: Do you support United States military action in Afghanistan?A: No.
Q: Do you support increasing military assistance for Afghanistan?
A: No.
Q: Do you support increasing economic development assistance for Afghanistan?
A: No.
Q: Should the United States continue to strike suspected terrorist targets in Pakistan?
A: Yes.
Source: Ohio Congressional Election 2010 Political Courage Test
Nov 1, 2010
Michael Pryce:
Withdraw from Iraq; but sanctions on Iran
Q: Do you support granting aid to countries when it is in the security interests of the United States?A: No.
Q: Should the United States support the creation of a Palestinian state?
A: No.
Q: Do you support increasing sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates?
A: Yes.
Q: Do you support the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq?
A: Yes.
Source: Ohio Congressional Election 2010 Political Courage Test
Nov 1, 2010
Lee Fisher:
Set a deadline for withdrawal from Afghanistan
On Afghanistan, Fisher opposed President Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan and supports setting a deadline for withdrawal.
Portman says an arbitrary deadline only allows the enemy a chance to wait it out.
Source: Dayton Daily News coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate
Oct 13, 2010
Rob Portman:
Arbitrary deadline for withdrawal lets enemy wait it out
On Afghanistan, Fisher opposed President Obama's plan to send more troops to Afghanistan and supports setting a deadline for withdrawal.
Portman says an arbitrary deadline only allows the enemy a chance to wait it out.
Source: Dayton Daily News coverage of 2010 Ohio Senate debate
Oct 13, 2010
Eric Deaton:
Withdraw from Iraq; increase sanctions on Iran
Q: Do you support increasing sanctions on Iran if it continues to defy United Nations mandates? A: Yes.
Q:Do you support the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraq?
A: Yes.
Source: Ohio Congressional 2010 Political Courage Test
Aug 11, 2010
Lee Fisher:
Responsibly end the war in Iraq; train Afghan troops & exit
Lee supports the Obama Administration's efforts to responsibly end the war in Iraq and defeat al-Qaeda and other terrorist networks around the world. He believes that instead of sending additional US troops to
Afghanistan, we should focus our efforts on training tens of thousands of new Afghan forces and encouraging the development of a broad-based coalition government with the legitimacy to lead.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, fisherforohio.com, "Issues"
Dec 25, 2009
Lee Fisher:
Stop Iran & North Korea from developing or acquiring nukes
- US efforts to stop Iran and North Korea from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons are a top priority for Lee.
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Lee backs the Obama Administration's efforts to strongly support the security of Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, fisherforohio.com, "Issues"
Dec 25, 2009
Mike DeWine:
Cannot set an artificial timetable for withdrawal from Iraq
We cannot leave Iraq with the job undone, and we cannot set an artificial timetable. It will embolden the insurgents; it will tell them when we will be gone. They just sit back and wait. That would be a mistake. If you don’t believe me, look at what the
three military leaders the other day said. They said they were very critical of Bush and Rumsfeld, and the conduct of the war. But when they are asked “Shall we set a date, a date specific, to be out of Iraq?” they all said “No.” And the reasons they
gave were, one, it would bring about chaos in Iraq; two, it would spread; three, the country that would benefit the most would be Iran. And then it was also said that we would have in Iraq a situation like we had in the 1990s in Afghanistan, only it
would be worse. It would become the focal point for the terrorists, a place where they could go, get sanctuary. The colonel who testified said, “Beirut’s on a major, major airline route. They won’t have any trouble getting there, it’s very easy.”
Source: 2006 Ohio Senate Debate on NBC Meet the Press
Oct 1, 2006
Mike DeWine:
Iraq has become a cause celebre for the jihadists
Q: Has in fact the Iraq war made us less safe, created more terrorists than we’ve killed? A: The National Intelligence Estimate said it very well. I think it is correct. It said a number of things. One, it said, as you pointed out, there was-it’s become
a cause celebre. That’s the right word. The jihadists, the people who want to kill us, always have a cause. Bin Laden’s cause before 9/11 was that we had troops in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia. They have other reasons. They say Israel.
They say that we have troops other places. So it is always something. But the key finding, seems to me in that NIE, is they said, “If the jihadists are successful in Iraq, they will be emboldened and there will be more of them.
If they’re unsuccessful, there will be fewer of them.” That to me is future-looking, and that is very instructive and it goes along with what the three military leaders who testified had the same plot, same plot in mind.
Source: 2006 Ohio Senate Debate on NBC Meet the Press
Oct 1, 2006
Mike DeWine:
Would not have voted to go into Iraq with what we now know
Q: Would you have still voted to go into Iraq, knowing what we do now? A: No. I think with the weapons of mass destruction evidence, we would have never even had a vote. It would never have been presented by Bush. But saying that does not mean that our
troops have not done a magnificent job, nor does it mean that the world is not better off for having Saddam Hussein-this man who had developed chemical weapons & biological weapons in the past-the world is better off for him being gone. The Iraqi Survey
Group that went in afterwards said they didn’t have the weapons of mass destruction, but they said two other things that are very interesting. One, he continued to have the capability and the scientists to develop them in the future.
And second, he had the will and inclination to do it. The intelligence committee said, “This man has weapons of mass destruction.” Knowing that, there was no choice at that point but to make that decision. But the intelligence was bad.
Source: 2006 Ohio Senate Debate on NBC Meet the Press
Oct 1, 2006
Sherrod Brown:
Instruct the military to come up with a withdrawal plan
Q: You’re opposed to the war, but what specifically do you do now? A: We pressure. We force. We push the Iraqis to build the security forces, the military and the police security forces that they need to build. DeWine and
Bush are just saying “status quo, just stay the course.” They’re not advocating any real change. They’ve been saying for three years that things were doing well. They clearly haven’t really made any real changes in what we’re doing in Iraq.
Once we push them in a serious way, we push them and pressure them to compromise-the Iraqis, the Sunnis and the Shiites-and we say to the military, we instruct the military that we want to exit
Iraq within a year and a half to two years, specifically at what speed, and that the troops exit Iraq in the most orderly and safe way for Americans.
Source: 2006 Ohio Senate Debate on NBC Meet the Press
Oct 1, 2006
Sherrod Brown:
Iraq has distracted the War on Terror and made us less safe
The fundamental difference on the war on terror since 9/11 is the US has lost its focus. Look what’s happened in Afghanistan. The Taliban is stronger than it’s been at any time in five years. We know that more poppies are grown to 95% of the poppies
in the world are grown in Afghanistan. We’re not supporting a moderate democratic government as well as we should in Afghanistan. Then it’s not just in Afghanistan that we’ve lost our focus, that’s caused al-Qaeda to be stronger.
Go look at what we’ve done in the US. We’ve failed to protect our nuclear facilities, our water systems, and our chemical plants. We tell our grandmothers to take their shoes off at the airport, yet we inspect fewer than 10% of cargo containers that
come into our ports, that come across I-70 in the heart of Ohio, that come across the turnpike in I-90. The intelligence operation in this country coupled with the loss of focus because of the war in Iraq has made the US less safe.
Source: 2006 Ohio Senate Debate on NBC Meet the Press
Oct 1, 2006
Sherrod Brown:
Voted against $87 billion that went to Halliburton
Q: Why did vote against $87 billion to fund the war in 2003? A: Because there was a better way to do it. Much of that $87 billion went to Halliburton and Bechtel and Parsons, and there was no accountability. It was a blank check. I wanted the money to go
to the troops for body armor. I spoke out on body armor over and over, questioned people like administrator Paul Bremer. DeWine should be ashamed of himself for running ads on television saying that I voted against the $87 billion.
Source: 2006 Ohio Senate Debate on NBC Meet the Press
Oct 1, 2006
Al Gore:
Bosnia: Be proud that we stopped ethnic cleansing
GORE: Let’s take the case of Bosnia. Here we had the most violent and bloody war in Europe since World War II, in an area of Europe that spawned the conflicts that became World War I. A growing instability that threatened to touch off a chain reaction
that would spill over border after border and lead to a much wider conflict and disorder. And at the heart of the festering wound was what they called, in the repugnant phrase they coined, ethnic cleansing. It was a hard decision for the United States
to get involved. But it was in my view, clearly, the right decision.Q. Was it too late?
GORE: It was later than it should have been. But it wasn’t too late, no. And I think our country should feel very proud of what we did.
Without the loss of a single American life in combat, we brought the bloodshed to an end, and gave them the chance to rebuild their lives and their communities.
Source: Press Interview in Ohio
Oct 4, 2000
Page last updated: Oct 13, 2021