Topics in the News: WMD
Jill Stein on Civil Rights
: Oct 15, 2024
Rejects endorsement from white supremacist leader
PoliticalWire.com summary, "David Duke Endorses Jill Stein," from NBC News:"Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed Green Party nominee Jill Stein over
Donald Trump, citing their stances on Israel this week--but Stein's campaign says it wants nothing to do with the former American Nazi Party member," NBC News reports.
"Duke, a proudly anti-Semitic white supremacist, endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020 but on his radio show Monday, he slammed the former president's 'subservience to
Israel and to the Jewish lobby' and said only Stein will stand up to Israel and its 'genocide' against Palestinians."
Click for Jill Stein on other issues.
Source: PoliticalWire on 2024 Presidential hopefuls & endorsements
Nikki Haley on Abortion
: Feb 21, 2024
IVF frozen embryos should be protected like babies
Nikki Haley said that frozen embryos created through in-vitro fertilization are "babies," siding with a recent Alabama Supreme Court decision that raised concerns among doctors and patients about the future of the procedure."Embryos, to me, are
babies," Haley told NBC News in an interview, adding that she used artificial insemination to have her son, a different process than IVF that doesn't present the same complexities around creating embryos in a lab. "When you talk about an embryo, you are
talking about, to me, that's a life. And so I do see where that's coming from when they talk about that."
Asked if legislation and rulings like the one in Alabama could have a chilling effect on families using IVF to become parents, Haley said, "This
is one where we need to be incredibly respectful and sensitive about it." Haley added: "Every woman needs to know, with her partner, what she's looking at. And then when you look at that, then you make the decision that's best for your family."
Click for Nikki Haley on other issues.
Source: NBC News on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Francis Suarez on Civil Rights
: Jan 22, 2024
Country should be pro-equal rights for LGBTQ community
Suarez told NBC News he initially supported Governor DeSantis' 'Don't Say Gay' law, but he said expanding the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to all grades was "excessive." He said that he doesn't "want little kids being taught about sexuality in the
classroom", but he wanted the US to be a "country that is pro-equal rights for the LGBTQ community".
Click for Francis Suarez on other issues.
Source: Pink News on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Nikki Haley on Civil Rights
: Jan 4, 2024
Everybody associates the Civil War with slavery
Q: You were asked to explain the cause of the Civil War. [Haley said, "I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run--the freedoms and what people could and couldn't do," NBC News, 12/28/23]. You obviously did not
mention slavery. And afterwards, you said that was the mistake. In fact, it should have been the first thing that you said.HALEY: If you grow up in South Carolina, literally in second and third grade, you learn about slavery. You grow up and you
have -- you know, I had Black friends growing up. It is a very talked-about thing. We have a big history in South Carolina when it comes to, you know, slavery, when it comes to all the things that happened with the Civil War, all that.
I was thinking past slavery and talking about the lesson that we would learn going forward. I shouldn't have done that. I should have said 'slavery.' But in my mind, that's a given, that everybody associates the Civil War with slavery.
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Source: CNN Town Hall 2024 pre-Iowa caucus
Francis Suarez on Education
: Jun 16, 2023
Expanding "Don't Say Gay" to all grades is excessive
Suarez took one of his first shots at a GOP primary opponent by criticizing DeSantis' expansion of a school policy that prohibits the discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation in classrooms. "I think that that's excessive," the
Republican mayor told NBC News when asked about expanding the law to all grades. "I think we need to make sure that, you know, young adults do get sex education training," Suarez said.
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Source: NBC News on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Joe Biden on Health Care
: Jan 20, 2021
Mandate COVID masks in all federal buildings
PROMISE MADE: (WPTV-5 coverage of NBC News Town Hall, 10/6/20): On coronavirus: "As president of the United States, I would make a federal mandate on federal property buildings; you must wear a mask. Period. And you must socially
distance," Biden said.PROMISE KEPT: (Executive Order on Mask-Wearing, 1/20/21): The heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall immediately take action, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, to require
compliance with CDC guidelines with respect to wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, & other public health measures by: on-duty or on-site Federal employees; on-site Federal contractors; and all persons in Federal buildings or on Federal lands.
OnTheIssues ANALYSIS: "Mask mandates" are a core political issue at the state level: whether to mandate masks for state employees (as Biden has done for federal employees), versus for the public at-large (which Biden has not done).
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Source: White House press release on Biden Promises
Joe Biden on Health Care
: Sep 29, 2020
A hundred million people have pre-existing conditions
BIDEN: There's a hundred million people who have pre-existing conditions and they'll be taken away as well. TRUMP: There aren't a hundred million people with pre-existing conditions. Joe, the hundred million people is totally wrong.
I don't know where you got that number.
FactCheck by NBC News, Sept. 20: A 2017 study from the Department of Health and Human Services estimated that about 133 million people had a pre-existing condition that would make them unable to buy insurance.
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Source: First 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Chris Wallace
Joe Biden on Homeland Security
: Sep 29, 2020
FactCheck: Yes, Hunter Biden was kicked out of military
Is it true that Biden's son was discharged from the military for drug use? The exchange first:TRUMP: Hunter got thrown out of the military. He was thrown out, dishonorably discharged.
BIDEN: That's not true; he was not dishonorably discharged.
TRUMP: For cocaine use.
BIDEN: None of that is true.
Fact-Check from NBC News, Oct. 16, 2014, headline "Joe Biden's Son Hunter Kicked Out of Navy for Cocaine"
A U.S. official told NBC News that Hunter Biden was kicked out of the Reserve earlier
this year after he failed a drug test. The official said Biden failed the test in 2013, but he was not kicked out until Feb. 14 of this year. Senior US officials told NBC News that Biden, 44, tested positive for cocaine. Hunter Biden issued a statement
saying: "It was the honor of my life to serve in the US Navy, and I deeply regret and am embarrassed that my actions led to my administrative discharge. I respect the Navy's decision. With the love and support of my family, I'm moving forward."
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Source: NBC News Fact-Check on First 2020 Presidential Debate
Mike Pence on Principles & Values
: Sep 22, 2020
I will always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem
According to NBC News, "' I left today's Colts game because President Trump and I will not dignify any event that disrespects our soldiers, our Flag, or our National Anthem. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions,
I don't think it's too much to ask NFL players to respect the Flag and our National Anthem. I stand with President Trump, I stand with our soldiers, and I will always stand for our Flag and our National Anthem.'" [NBC News, 10/8/17]
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Source: Trump Research Book on Mike Pence
Howie Hawkins on Homeland Security
: Jul 12, 2020
Abolish nuclear weapons, WMDs, and land mines
Our government should establish a policy to abolish nuclear weapons:- Declare a no-first-strike policy.
- Declare a no-pre-emptive strike policy.
- Declare that the U.S. will never threaten or use a nuclear weapon on a non-nuclear nation.
-
Sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
- Reverse our withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
- End the research, testing and stockpiling of all nuclear weapons of any size.
- Dismantle all nuclear warheads from their missiles.
- We urge our government to sign the Toronto treaty banning the production, stockpiling, use and sale of land mines, and assist other nations in unearthing and disabling land mines buried in their lands.
- We urge our government to end all
stockpiling of chemical and biological weapons and all research, use, and sale of such weapons.
- The U.S. must allow foreign teams to visit the U.S. for verification purposes at least annually.
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.
Source: Green Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
Donald Trump on Free Trade
: Dec 31, 2019
Fact check: Trump claims China is paying new tariffs
False claim: "You're not paying for those tariffs. China's paying for those tariffs," the president told an Ohio crowd. "Until such time as there is a deal, we will be taxing the hell out of China."
Economists and experts told NBC News this is false. Consumers purchasing foreign goods are the ones who picked up the tab. J.P. Morgan estimated the cost of these tariffs on average U.S. families was more than $1,000.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: NBC News analysis of impeaching Trump
Marianne Williamson on Homeland Security
: Jul 24, 2018
Remove pathological romanticization of the military
During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, I was one of many Americans saying, "This is Vietnam all over again." At the time, we were described by officialdom as facile thinkers who simply didn't understand the severity of the situation. What we did
understand was that Iraq had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11; there was no Al Qaeda in Iraq; and even if Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, let us be adult enough to remember we do business with countries that have WMD every day. Oh, and
Saddam Hussein killed his own people? So have the Chinese, and we did not invade them.We need a miracle of God to remove from us what has become an almost pathological romanticization of the military. I have a great respect for the men and women of the
U.S. Armed Forces, but their idealization as ultimate and exclusive saviors in times of national distress is a disservice to them and to us all. If America spent more time and resources waging peace, we would find ourselves waging far less war.
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: Healing the Soul of America, by Marianne Williamson, p.105-6
Donald Trump on Principles & Values
: Aug 2, 2016
Talked about running for president since 1985
Trump had been talking about the presidency since 1985. In 1988, he proposed himself as the running mate of the first President George Bush, a job that went to Senator Dan Quayle. I also watched Trump run in 2000 on the ticket for the Reform Party.
Trump again declared his candidacy in 2012. Trump's campaign then had a purpose other than moving to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. His real goal, we surmised, was a more lucrative contract with the NBC television network for his aging "Celebrity
Apprentice" show. As such, journalists gave little regard to his announcement for the 2016 election.
But this time things were different. I'd spent decades as an investigative reporter, reporting on him, and I had kept my files.
When Trump announced his bid for the Republican nomination for the 2016 election, I knew it was for real.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: The Making of Donald Trump, by David Cay Johnston, p. xi-xii
Mike Pence on War & Peace
: Jul 15, 2016
Supported Iraq war and sending more US troops there in 2007
Pence, near the beginning of his 12-year tenure in the U.S. House, voted for the resolution authorizing the 2003 Iraq invasion. Pence, who chaired the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on the Middle East, was also a prominent backer of the
2007 "surge" strategy sending more U.S. troops to the faltering effort in Iraq, telling CNN's Wolf Blitzer at the time that "the surge is working" while also defending the original decision to invade despite the absence of weapons of mass destruction.
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Source: CNN.com 2016 Veepstakes, "Pence foreign policy"
Donald Trump on War & Peace
: Feb 13, 2016
The war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake
Trump and Jeb Bush encapsulated the GOP's long-running schism between its establishment wing and its rebellious insurgency in a single raw and unusually personal exchange over the war in Iraq and the legacy of the
George W. Bush era. "The war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake," said Trump. "They lied," Trump continued. "They said there were weapons of mass destruction. There were none."
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Source: Los Angeles Times on 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jill Stein on War & Peace
: Sep 29, 2010
End our military misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan
Before President Obama took office, the Democratic Party criticized Bush for killing thousands of people looking for weapons of mass destruction that never existed. But now their voices have fallen silent. Gov. Patrick is promoting the troop surges and
engaging in shameless attempts to use the troops as props for his election year photo ops. He dished out upbeat descriptions of our military misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan. He described morale as being high, conveniently ignoring the fact that
suicides among the troops had just reached record levels. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are costing Massachusetts $3.4 billion per year. That money could go a long way toward creating jobs here in Massachusetts. Rather than serving as a Pentagon
propagandist and obediently sending our National Guard off for yet another tour of duty, the Governor of Massachusetts should be telling President Obama that we need to end the wars, bring our National Guard home, and heal our economy.
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Source: 2010 Gubernatorial Campaign website jillstein.org, "Issues"
Joe Biden on War & Peace
: Oct 1, 2008
2002: Waiting to be sure of Saddam danger could be too late
"Almost no one disagrees with these basic facts. That he has weapons of mass destruction and that he is doing everything in his power to get nuclear weapons."
--Sen. John Edwards, Sept. 12, 2002"In the four years since the inspectors left,
intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including
al-Qaeda members."
--Sen. Hillary Clinton, Oct. 10, 2002
"Saddam Hussein certainly has chemical and biological weapons. There's no question about that."
--Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Nov. 17, 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam
Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction."
--Sen. Edward Kennedy, Sept. 27, 2003
"If we wait for the danger to become clear, it could be too late."
--Sen. Joseph Biden, Sept. 4, 2002
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: The War in Quotes, by G.B. Trudeau, p. 28-29
Joe Biden on War & Peace
: Apr 29, 2007
In 2002 Saddam posed a threat of purchasing a nuclear bomb
Q: In 2002 you said about Saddam: "He must be dislodged from his weapons or dislodged from power." A: I was correct about that. I also said at the time that I did not think he had weaponized his material, but he did have these stockpiles everywhere.
A: It turned out they didn't, but everyone in the world thought he had them. The weapons inspectors said he had them. What he did with them, who knows?
Q: Gen. Zinni, when he heard the discussion about WMD that
Saddam had, said, "I've never heard that" in any of the briefings he had as head of the Central Command. How could you as a US Senator be so wrong?
A: I wasn't wrong. When asked about aluminum tubes, I said they're for artillery. I don't believe
they're for cascading.
Q: But you said Saddam was a threat.
A: He was a threat.
Q: In what way?
A: If Saddam was left unfettered, with sanctions lifted and billions in his coffers, then he had the ability to purchase a tactical nuclear weapon.
Click for Joe Biden on other issues.
Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series
Joe Biden on War & Peace
: Apr 29, 2007
Vote for war allowed war only after all else failed
Q: Should you have sought out people who had a dissenting view on WMD?A: Oh, I did. I called every intelligence agency before the Foreign Relations Committee, had them all sit there at once. I pointed out to all my colleagues who came that there was
vast disagreement among the intelligence community.
Q: But despite the doubts you heard, you voted for the war.
A: I voted to give the president the authority to avoid a war. We had a more constrictive amendment, but he had 55 votes no matter what.
A: It allowed the president to go to war. It did not authorize him to go to it. You make it sound like it said, "Mr. President, go to war." It said, "Mr
President, don't go to war." It said "go to the United Nations. Try to get a deal. Get the inspectors back in. Tell us that that's what you're about to do. And, Mr. President, if all else fails, you have authority to use force." That's what it said.
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Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series
Howie Hawkins on War & Peace
: Nov 1, 2006
Immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq
Q: Should the US support the creation of a Palestinian state?A: Yes.
Q: Should the US withdraw its troops from Iraq?
A: Yes.
Q: Discuss your proposals for an exit strategy in Iraq.
A: Immediate and unconditional withdrawal. The real US military mission was to establish military bases and control the oil, not WMDs, terrorism, and democracy as the politicians spun it. The mission was imperialistic. It was wrong and it should stop.
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.
Source: 2006 Congressional National Political Awareness
Page last updated: Nov 02, 2024
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