Obama-Keyes: on Homeland Security

Mark Kirk: No F-25 engine; no joint forces command

We should have a new Grace Commission put forward with base-closing powers, with just one up-or-down vote.

When you look at the state of the economy right now, you have to set a priority. And my top priority is the deficit of jobs and economic growth.

Alan Keyes: Develop a plan that will get us away from our oil dependence

Barack Obama: We are currently inspecting 3% of all incoming cargo

A: Our inspections of ports. We are currently inspecting 3% of all incoming cargo. Terrorists could load up a cargo container and drive it straight into the middle of the Loop without significant risk of them being inspected. Our chemical and nuclear plants are still unsecured, despite how vulnerable they are. There are a whole host of domestic priorities that have been neglected by the Bush administration.

Alan Keyes: Send a clear message to the entire terror network

Alan Keyes: Take preemptive action only if a probable threat exists

A: One of the brilliant things about the Iraq decision is that you go after those things most susceptible to the right kinds of action. Iraq was susceptible to direct military action, and so Bush acted. If you’re talking about North Korea, you have to look at the entire context in which we deal with the North Korean threat. That includes relationships with the Chinese and the possibility that you’re talking about something that could escalate into a larger war. We also have mechanisms preexisting for bringing international pressure to bear on both the North Koreans and the Iranians, when it comes to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons We consider the possibility of direct action in an appropriate form only if we have evidence that there is a probably threat, and that they are moving on that threat.