Tom Tancredo on War & Peace Republican Representative (CO-6)

Stop policing Iraq, but cannot leave

Congress cannot decide how to fight war; only fund or defund

The founders of this country knew very well what would happen to us if we ended up with 535 generals in the Congress. And that is, you lose wars. You need a commander in chief. And then the Congress has every right to be involved in it. It has every right to talk about this and to condemn it if you don’t agree with it. But you know what? It ends up with this. If you don’t want it, don’t fund it. But you cannot micromanage it from the Congress of the United States.

Promote dissenters in Iran; but take action if needed

A: One of the most important things we can do with Iran is to look at the Iranian people themselves. There is a great deal of dissent inside Iran. We certainly don’t immediately, you know, use the button. We immediately don’t go to war. But I also tell you that we cannot back away from this situation, and we cannot be threatened in that way. If it’s required, action has to be taken & a president has to do that.

Iraq is a battlefield in war with radical Islam

A: Well, I hope and pray that the surge works. But let me get back to a central point here, and that is why we’re there and in fact, with whom we are at war. The war is not actually in Iraq. The war is with radical Islam. That’s who we are at war with. And we have to understand it, Iraq is a battlefield in that war. In order for us to be successful there, we have to disengage as the police force in Iraq. But we cannot leave the country. We cannot leave because this is not a war that will end with our departure. I wish that were the case. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if that’s all it would take, for us to say we’ll withdraw all of our troops and we’ll never have another thing to worry about? But we were not attacked because we had troops in Saudi Arabia; I don’t believe it. We were attacked because radical Islam wants to destroy the United States of America and any part of this world that they do not agree with.

We are in a war with radical Islam; Iraq is one battle

A: There are a number of things, of course, with regard to Iraq that I think we have found some common ground on, but the reality is this: that it is absolutely true I think that we are in a war with radical Islam. That is the war. A battle is being fought in Iraq. Now, can we win the military battle on the ground? Yes, we can. Our guys are the best in the world, and cannot be faulted in any way.

Stop restricting army with rules of engagement

I unveiled a statue in my district for a Navy SEAL. He is dead because the rules of engagement did not allow them to do what they needed to do over there. That is unacceptable. In the broader picture, of course, we have to do something about the fact that there is no political or economic solution being developed by the Iraqis. And you have to push them into it. America cannot be the police force in Iraq. It cannot remove itself entirely from Iraq, but Iraq has got to take control of Iraq.

If Islamic terrorists threaten nukes, we nuke Mecca & Medina

A: Yes, the State Department--boy, when they start complaining about things I say, I feel a lot better about the things I say, I’ll tell you right now. My task as president is primarily to do one thing--not to make sure everybody has health care or everybody’s child is educated--my task is to do one thing: to protect and defend this country. And that means to deter--and I want to underline “deter”--any kind of aggression, especially the type we are threatened with by Al Qaida, which is nuclear attack. I read the national intelligence estimate. I see what they are planning. And I’m telling you right now that anybody that would suggest that we should take anything like this off the table in order to deter that kind of event in the United States isn’t fit to be president.

Opposed the troop surge, but supports the troops

A: The president said, “I am establishing a benchmark of November for the Iraqi government to be in control of all 18 provinces of Iraq.” I believe that that is a good benchmark to set. I will support him in that effort, & I will support our troops while they are in the field in every single way I can. That is my responsibility as a member of Congress.

Muslims attack us because it’s a dictate of their religion

PAUL: No. [Abandoning our tradition of] non-intervention was a major contributing factor. They attack us because we’ve been over there; we’ve been bombing Iraq for 10 years.

TANCREDO: Whether Israel existed or didn’t, whether or not we were in the Iraq war or not, they would be trying to kill us because it’s a dictate of their religion, at least a part of it, and we have to defend ourselves.

Convert from constabulary force to supporting force

GIULIANI: I was talking about the timetable for retreat that the Democrats passed, in which they did something I’ve never heard of in the history of war, which is to give your enemy a schedule of how a retreating army is going to retreat. That was highly irresponsible. What the Republicans suggested isn’t the right approach either.

Q: Rep. Tancredo, you are one of those congressional Republicans who talks about disengaging from Iraq. You have talked about November as a timeframe for beginning to pull some of our troops back from the frontlines.

TANCREDO: We are going to have troops in Iraq or in the region for a long time. The question is, will the troops be a constabulary force, which I do not believe they should be? Will they be a supporting force for the Iraqi government, which I believe they should be?

Ok to attack Iran if they develop nukes & threaten Israel

A: There are two kinds of Irans that we are going to have to deal with here: one headed by a gentleman who believes that he is going to be responsible for the coming of the 12th imam; and a guy with a bomb, that should put us in the position of saying that anything we can do to stop that is imperative. And if Israel is put in that position, and we need to be involved in order to protect both ourselves and the Israelis, then of course we respond in the appropriate fashion.

Q: If the prime minister asks you for help, you say you will say yes?

A: Well, there are conditions, of course, under which we would say yes. But if there is a threat to the existence of Israel, which is a potential threat to the existence of the United States, then you have to come to the aid of Israel.

Surge opposed by all commanders; we’re leaving soon

A: I would not have and I did not support that, whether you want to call it a surge or a reinforcement or whatever, & I didn’t because primarily I listened to the people on the ground, I listened to the generals who were in charge of the operation. Every single commander on the ground--not one of them supported such an increase or believed that it was necessary, and in fact, would be counterproductive because it would only make the Iraqis more dependent on the US. I think that the increase in the number of troops that we’ve sent to Iraq is simply the beginning of the end game. We are leaving Iraq, relatively soon.

Q: Is the US going to leave with a defeat or with a victory?

A: It remains to be seen, quite frankly. We don’t know. But I’m telling you that we are going to be leaving.

Begin withdrawal from Iraq, to focus on radical Islam

A: I am worried about it. I feel as though we have, just as you say, stretched them as far as they can be stretched. Look, it could have been and, in fact, was a noble endeavor. No one should go back on and no one should have recriminations about the fact that we tried. But at the point in time we now are looking at the situation, I’m telling you that we must begin the process of withdrawal from Iraq. It is not helping us in the all-out war, the bigger war against radical Islam.

Voted NO on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days.

Proponents support voting YES because:

This war is a terrible tragedy, and it is time to bring it to an end. This is a straightforward bill to redeploy our military forces from Iraq and to end the war in Iraq. This bill does not walk away from the Iraqi people. It specifically continues diplomatic, social, economic, and reconstruction aid. Finally, this bill leaves all the decisions on the locations outside of Iraq to which our troops will be redeployed wholly in the hands of our military commanders.

Opponents support voting NO because:

This legislation embraces surrender and defeat. This legislation undermines our troops and the authority of the President as commander in chief. Opponents express concern about the effects of an ill-conceived military withdrawal, and about any legislation that places military decisions in the hands of politicians rather than the military commanders in the field. The enemy we face in Iraq view this bill as a sign of weakness. Now is not the time to signal retreat and surrender. It is absolutely essential that America, the last remaining superpower on earth, continue to be a voice for peace and a beacon for freedom in our shrinking world.

Voted YES on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date.

Voting YES would support the following resolution (excerpted):
• Whereas the United States and its allies are engaged in a Global War on Terror, a long and demanding struggle against an adversary that is driven by hatred of American values and that is committed to imposing, by the use of terror, its repressive ideology throughout the world;
• Whereas the terrorists have declared Iraq to be the central front in their war against all who oppose their ideology;
• Whereas the United States and its Coalition partners will continue to support Iraq as part of the Global War on Terror:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
• Honors all those Americans who have taken an active part in the Global War on Terror;
• Declares that it is not in the national security interest of the United States to set an arbitrary date for the withdrawal or redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq;
• Declares that the United States is committed to the completion of the mission to create a sovereign, free, secure, and united Iraq;
• Declares that the United States will prevail in the Global War on Terror, the noble struggle to protect freedom from the terrorist adversary.

Voted YES on approving removal of Saddam & valiant service of US troops.

1. affirms that the United States and the world have been made safer with the removal of Saddam Hussein and his regime from power in Iraq;
2. commends the Iraqi people for their courage in the face of unspeakable oppression and brutality inflicted on them by Saddam Hussein's regime;
3. commends the Iraqi people on the adoption of Iraq's interim constitution; and
4. commends the members of the U.S. Armed Forces and Coalition forces for liberating Iraq and expresses its gratitude for their valiant service.

Voted YES on authorizing military force in Iraq.

Voted YES on disallowing the invasion of Kosovo.

Solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism.

• [The United States] expresses solidarity with Israel as it takes necessary steps to provide security to its people by dismantling the terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian areas; and

• Commits to Israel's right to self-defense and support for additional U.S. assistance.

• Condemns the recent wave of Palestinian suicide bombings and the ongoing support and coordination of terror by Yasir Arafat and other members of the Palestinian leadership.

• Demands that the Palestinian Authority fulfill its commitment to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the Palestinian areas.

• Expresses concern that Arafat's actions are not those of a viable partner for peace.

• Urges all Arab states to declare their unqualified opposition to all forms of terrorism, particularly suicide bombing, and all parties in the region to pursue peace in the Middle East.

• Commends the President for his leadership in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Encourages the international community to take action to alleviate the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.

Strengthen sanctions on Syria & assist democratic transition.

A bill to strengthen sanctions against the Government of Syria, to enhance multilateral commitment to address the Government of Syria's threatening policies, to establish a program to support a transition to a democratically-elected government in Syria.

Syria Accountability and Liberation Act - States that US sanctions, controls, and regulations relating to Syria shall remain in effect until the President certifies that Syria has ceased support for terrorism, has dismantled biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons programs and has committed to combat their proliferation, respects the boundaries and sovereignty of all neighboring countries, and upholds human rights and civil liberties.
• Imposes specified trade, assistance, and military sanctions, as appropriate, on persons or countries that transfer goods or technology so as to contribute to Syria's biological, chemical, nuclear, or advanced conventional weapons programs.
• Imposes specified sanctions aimed at Syria's energy sector.
• Sets forth diplomatic measures intended to isolate the government of Syria.
• Directs the President to provide assistance to support a democratic transition in Syria. Authorizes appropriations.