The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
November 14, 2011

Republican Presidential Candidates Accuse Obama of Being Too Soft on Iran 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------



At a Republican presidential debate in South Carolina on Saturday,
several contenders accused Obama of being too soft on Iran. Former
Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

Mitt Romney: “If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear
weapon. And if we elect Mitt Romney, if you elect me as the next
president, they will not have a nuclear weapon.”

Moderator: “But, sir, you just described where we are today and
that’s what you’re going to have to deal with, if you become
president. How do you prevent them from attaining a nuclear weapon, is
it worth going to war to prevent that?"

Mitt Romney: “Well, it’s worth putting in place crippling sanctions.
It’s worth working with the insurgents in the country to encourage
regime change in the country and if all else fails, if after all the
work we’ve done, there’s nothing else we can do except take military
action, then of course we take military action. It is unacceptable for
Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who is rising in the
Republican polls, was also asked about Iran.

Newt Gingrich: “I agree entirely with Governor Romney. If in the end,
despite all of those things, the dictatorship persists, you have to take
whatever steps are necessary to break its capacity to have a nuclear
weapon.”

Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann accused President Obama of abandoning
Israel at time when it could become the target of a nuclear war.

Michele Bachmann: “The table is being set for a worldwide nuclear war
against Israel and if there’s anything we know, President Obama has
been willing to stand with Occupy Wall Street, but he hasn’t been
willing to stand with Israel. Israel looks at President Obama and they
do not see a friend.”

Republican Rep. Ron Paul offered a different take on dealing with Iran.

Rep. Ron Paul: “I am afraid what is going on right now is similar to
the war that went on against Iraq and you know they didn’t have
weapons of mass destruction. And it was orchestrated, and to me a
tragedy of what’s happened these last ten years. Death and
destruction, $4 trillion in debt. So no, It's not worthwhile going to
war. If you do, you get a declaration of war, you fight it, you win it,
and you get it over with.”



.