…keeping in mind, of course, that it’s still 10+ months to inauguration.

How do you plan for the U.S. to provide security, political empowerment, and economic security when our current administration by its actions has irrevocably signaled that we no longer will maintain a significant physical presence in the Middle East/North Africa.

Once the Administration discarded a bipartisan policy of at least half a century, how can repair that damage with respect to countries that measure time in decades and centuries, not 4-year election cycles.

It’s a terrible position you or any new President will have to face. And of course the Iranians may well have conducted a nuclear test by then, in which caw we would have an arms race in progress.

Finally, what kind of realignment in relations with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan do you see that will advance these goals?

The democrats never supported Bush on Iraq. They don’t care about Iraq or Israel or peace in the middle east. Their goals are to get oil prices so high so that they can keep the green slush fund going. The US government takes a larger share from every gallon of gas then the oil companies could ever dream of.

Let’s get rid of Obama. Support Israel and let the rest of the middle east blow themselves to Kingdom Come.

support other christians. This president’s policies are a conduit for the rise of Islamic governments across the mideast. We are seeing the effects in Libya, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Tunisia and now Syria. Muslims massacre christians across Africa and the Middle east. What has he done? Bows to a muslim king, pressures Israel, embraces Tayyip Erdogan the leader of Turkey (“The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers…”) and promotes policies against the Catholic Church. Thank you Senator Santorum for your post.

…because I think the ship has sailed for the Iraqi Christians.

We had the opportunity to protect them when we were there. We no longer have that opportunity. Our troops are gone, and with them went our influence in that country.

We won the war in Iraq, and Obama gave away that victory. All that is left for the Christians in that country is subjugation and genocide.

The only opportunity we have to positively affect their situation is to bring them here. Which we should do with open arms. That goes for Christians in Egypt as well.

was before they were intimidated and bullied by the liberated Shi’a majority into conversion or exile — all of which happened from 2004 onwards. Pres Obama has done nothing to fix this catastrophe, and Frmr Pres Bush was unable to: what do you propose to do differently, such that it will have different results? In my opinion, if we have to babysit a “liberated” country indefinitely to prevent humanitarian catastrophe, it calls into question the strategy of nation-building. In light of this, I am disappointed that you call for a set of actions in Syria which would not only lead to the same type of oppression against its Christian minority which you declaim in this article, but which would also be costly and quite possibly against US interests. In my opinion, this sort of muddy thinking reflects the sort of shortsightedness and ignorance emblematic of our bipartisan Middle Eastern policy.

Should the latest polls hold and Romney win both MI and AZ, he’d then get an enormous boost from them heading into Super Tuesday. If he does well that night as well, he’ll likely be impossible to stop thereafter. Therefore, it’s in your interests, too, to do more debates, not just speaker Gingrich’s. I’d like to recommend at least one more debate before Super Tuesday, and about one per fortnight after it.

I strongly urge you to speak with Speaker Gingrich about this and see if one or both of the two canceled debates (dated Mar. 1 and 5) can somehow be resurrected, or if an alternate pre-ST debate can be scheduled.

Thank you posting this important diary on a subject that badly needs much attention.

This was a pretty well-written explanation about how bad things are, but doesn’t exactly give much substance in terms of what to do about it… Yes, leaving Iraq and cutting the embassy staff had a pretty horrible effect on the Christians, but what exactly is he going to do??…. He’ll send the troops back in and keep them there indefinitely to protect the Chaldeans? Is he going to send the military into Egypt to protect the Copts also?? The reason it was thin on solutions is because anyone who has actually thought about this issue knows that there isn’t really much of an answer to it… He knows that people on this site tend to be religious Christians and he thinks it will connect with us that he’s writing an article where he attempts to come as the “passionate champion of the Christians of the Middle East” but at the end of the day if he has no details to give on whatever this alleged “comprehensive solution” of his is, it just comes off as patronizing and I am beyond tired of these people talking about how they have “comprehensive solutions to the mess Obama created” but then they just cross their fingers that we don’t care enough to ask any of the details… it is the same old establishment mentality that “we the people” are all just complete idiots that they can fool with their “savvy Washington campaign rhetoric.”

when you decided a public debate on the issues of importance facing this country were not worth your time.

Speaker Gingrich was ready and willing, but you were not.

I appreciate your coming to redstate, and I agree with your position on how important this is, but you need to participate in the debates to maintain credibility as a candidate.

before I could possibly vote for you. You did an excellent job in Florida but this week…well I must see more now that you are getting substantive questions.

I remember a time when a debate was called and only you and
Speaker Gingrich agreed to come. It was cancelled. If the two of you can do the one in Georgia or at least one before Super Tuesday we who are contemplating voting for you would be able to get more questions answered re: your policies.

PLEASE re-consider! I am sure Erick Erickson would assist you if you have lost your venue!

Newt said that as long as you’re America’s enemy you’re safe, it’s only our allies that need to worry. Now a few days later you trot out a near identical phrasing of that? Newt said months ago that Obama makes Carter look strong, now you trot out a near identical phrasing of that? You had your chance and now it’s over. You’re too proud, but if you ever find humility, drop out now and endorse Newt. You were only propped up by Fox as a means of blocking Newt’s nomination. You were never more than a social conservative with a liberal fiscal record.

What would you have done differently, to convince the Iraqi government to allow us continued combatant immunity?

The sticking point that caused the absolute-withdrawal, after all, was that the Iraqis demanded any remaining US troops be subject to Iraqi law – without immunity for legitimate actions on the battlefield.

In that situation, we essentially wouldn’t be able to leave our bases, much less engage in combat, without risking arrest in the event that an Iraqi citizen who we couldn’t prove to Iraqi courts be an insurgent was injured. We would have been combat ineffective.

My questions to you, are these:

1) Do you think that the failure to secure combatant immunity was the result of the Obama administration’s lack of interest in trying to stay, or the Iraqis desire to ‘run their own show’?

2) How would your negotiators have done things differently?

P.S. Good luck in the primaries – I hope you win.

The new Iraqi Constitution (which Bush accepted without complaint) includes this:

“Islam is the state religion and a basic foundation for the country’s laws, and no law may contradict the established provisions of Islam.”

That means that the Iraqi Christians are going to be living as second class citizens under an Islamist regime.

So my advice is quite different from Senator Santorum’s. While it would be too diplomatically embarrassing for any American President to say it, what Congressmen should be advising the Iraqi Christians to do is get the heck out of there.

I’m sick and tired of the “Obama was just filling and arbitrary campaign promise” meme coming from cynical conservative politicos. Obama made a campaign promise based on an agreement that was signed with the Iraqi government in December of 2007 under President Bush.

Of course, the people he’s talking to will never fact check him, so Mr. Santorum can say whatever he wants.

He approves the hit on OBL,[how could he have denied it?] and then stands by while whole nations go radical and murderous.
Go back to the 2009 Egypt speech, the baclward step taken then was the warning of what Obama intended. It’s the one step back, two steps forward method.
By November there won’t be much left, either in Iraq or Egypt, probably not much changed in Syria or Iran except for the worst.
The Senators intentions are appropriate, but if the ballgame isn’t over we are at least in the 9th inning.
In any case Senator, good luck and God bless.

When the MSM and Romney used Newt’s March 21st 1986 Special Order Speech and took a few clips out of context to smear Newt as anti-Reagan, why did you jumped on board and questioned Newt’s loyalty and support of Reagan?

This smacks of opportunism on your part. On the contrary, Newt did not pile it on when you were attacked by tbe Romney-Paul tack team and in fact baled you out on a few occassions when you seem hell bent on sticking both shoes into your mouth on the question about contraceptives.

Sorry, i cannot support you because I do not think you have the vision or the skills to turn this country around. But I do need you to help stop Romney!

Speaker Gingrich and Senator Santorum it’s wonderful to see you both writing here. I’m going to post this on the topics that each of you started.

I really admire and respect both of you, in fact during the 1990s when I became interested in politics, the two of you along with John Kasich were my three favorite people in politics. And now two of you are running for president!

At first I supported Newt and wanted to see Rick as VP. but have recently changed to supporting Rick as president and would love to see Newt as VP. I wrote and explained my reasoning for this change of heart in another topic. In actuality, I would be happy whichever one was at the top of the ticket, it’s just that I think Rick has a better chance of winning the general election at this point.

Why I’m writing today is not to comment on your respective posts but to implore you both to team up and stop splitting the conservative vote. When delegates are proportioned this may not be as much of a problem since you can combine your delegates at the convention. But for winner take all states, you just make it much easier for Mitt Romney to win.

After super Tuesday whichever one of you has the most delegates and/or state wins and higher poll number please work together by making a deal behind the scenes to team up either as President/V.P and/or with the promise (in writing if necessary) to leave the race and endorse the other if you are given the opportunity of working on a project that is most meaningful to the one that will step down from the race. I noticed that Rick Perry was promised the opportunity to work on a 10th amendment project if Newt became president. This is the type of thing I’m referring to.

Please don’t let ego stop you two from combining forces and winning in November. It’s obvious that Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have made some arrangement with each other. Ron Paul only attacks Newt or Rick. If they did team up, Romney as President with Ron Paul as Vice President it would make perfect sense.

Since Romney knows he will never have the enthusiasm of the conservative base he will compensate with Ron Paul’s base, namely the youth vote who are usually moderate to liberal, and they are almost cult-like in their devotion to Ron Paul.

It’s a great strategy actually, that’s why I worry so much that our conservative candidates will not do something similar to ensure that they win the primary. I’m sure I’m not writing anything that you both haven’t considered but what concerns me is that I remember when Newt was in the lead awhile back, he mentioned on television making common cause with Rick Santorum but didn’t elaborate further. I don’t know if Rick Santorum will start to get overly confident and think he doesn’t need Newt.

Just remember, “pride goeth before the fall.” You need each other, so work together and you can reach your collective goals, don’t work together and you may lose to a better organized Romney/Paul collaboration and end up with nothing more than speaking tours over the next few years. It’s up to you to appreciate each other’s strengths and abilities, combine them and win!

Without evensomuch as reading this good post good Sir, you have re-confirmed my absentee-Michigan vote for you.

You Mr. Santorum, have been burned by the 2006 elections, yet have come back to pour out your love of country, of man, of life.

Life. Our lives. That is the crux of the matter, is it not?

Here, like a doctor, you have your hands on the pulse of out republic, nay! This world as it is…

Where Speaker Gingrich might speak with Reaganesque boldness, it is but for the headlines they would bring ~~ you, good Sir, come armed in the long shadow of Ronald Wilson Reagans’s quest for finality, for Truth, against what ails U.S.

May we all seek prayer for the persecuted. For the downtrodden, those underfoot of this centurty’s evil empires. May we ‘fight for all’. May we pray and act in those prayers for Mr. Youcef Nadarkhani, his sons, his betrothed:

http://www.prisoneralert.com/pprofiles/vp_prisoner_214_profile.html

Courage under Fire indeed.

*For #Neda

to the front page. As usual, Santorum tells what is needed with not one word included as to HOW HE would do it. Everyone here is fairly well informed and politically literate. We don’t need to be told what needs to be accomplished, we need to be told specifically how you intend to do it.

Are ya feelin’ me Rick? Mittens?

I’ve noticed a few people writing here stating that Senator Santorum illustrated the problems but did not provide the answers.

You do realize don’t you, that there is almost no answer to this problem. At least not an answer that the public would approve of. Or that those in power would even conceive of.

I think the last decade with our financial collapse, unwinnable wars, and unsustainable debt, have made us realize something that most of us would not have believed; we are not as strong or as militarily capable as we once thought we were. Those that follow Islam have figured this out, we’re just a little late to this reality.

I will posit the following: What if Christianity is true. What if the main purpose of our lives is to evangelize to the world and protect humanity from the influence of evil. What if it was up to us in Christendom to prevent Islamic power from spreading and entrapping people and what if we have failed miserably at this mission and are now facing the consequences of our failure.

Islam began around 622AD. In the 7th century Muslims conquered Syria (including Jerusalem), North Africa and Spain. Part of the Muslims’ success was due to the exhaustion of the Byzantine empire in its decades long conflict with Persia which is now referred to as Iran.

Byzantium is today distinguished from ancient Rome proper insofar as it was oriented towards Greek culture, characterized by Christianity rather than Roman paganism. And what’s in the news today; Syria, Israel, Persia (Iran). The more things change the more they stay the same.

Someone wrote in this topic, “Islam will influence the government of majority-Islamic nations…. There’s nothing wrong with this, and so long as these nations do not support terror, it’s not an issue for us to be concerned about. We are not at war with Islam.”

I disagree, I think we may very well be at war with Islam, the only problem is that our side doesn’t know it.

The following is quoted from a few different websites:

———————————-

According to the Bible, 666 is an evil number, and represents the beast, or the anti-Christ. It is interesting to know that many Muslims believe the number “666” to be a holy number. They also believe that the number 19 is holy as well. In knowing this I am not surprised that the number of terrorist that destroyed the World Trade Center was 19. They are called by many in Islam “the magnificent 19”. The number “666” is believed to represent the Quran and the Prophet Mohammed.

The beast and the fierce ruler. I have seen people do numerology studies on the Bible and every public personality, trying to determine who the beast is. Daniel made it clear that the beast was actually a kingdom, headed by a fierce ruler.

Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

If the beast represents a religion, and if that religion is Islam, the following statement would have to make sense. “The number of Islam is 666.”

Here is how this makes sense. To begin with one must think in terms of the calendar in use at the time of the writing.

The calendar we use today is a variation of the Annos Domini dating system which was not devised until 525 A.D.

If one were to analyze whether there is a connection to 666 to be found in a calendar, the more logical choice might be to consider the calendar in use at the time of the writing. During the period of the Roman Empire, the calendar most commonly used was the calendar created by Julius Caesar. It was devised in 46 BC and went into use in 45 BC.

Simply put, 45 years after it was put into use, Jesus Christ was born. We know this date (year) as 1 A.D. (Note that there is no 0 AD or 0 BC).

Some 621 more years went by bringing it to 622 A.D. – A total of 666 years from the first year of use of the Julian Calendar.

The year of the creation of Islam – 622 A.D. (as we know it) being 666 years after the establishment of the dating method in use at the time the prophesy was written.

Christian eschatology (the study of the last days) and Islamic eschatology are very similar, and it looks like current events in the Middle East seem to be unfolding to line up exactly with Biblical prophecies. According to Shiite Muslim theology, there needs to be a time of great turmoil and tribulation prior to the Muslim messiah’s (the Mahdi) reappearance. President Ahmadinejad (the president of Iran) wants to cause this tribulation so that Mahdi will come sooner.

According to an article from Worldnet Daily (1/6/06), Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Tehran that his “main mission” is to “pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi.” He believes that his religious duty is to create chaos and bloodshed in the infidel world, in order to hasten the return of the Mahdi. Joel Rosenberg says, “[Ahmadinejad] believes the end of the world is just a few years away and that it is his mission to bring it about.” On many occasions Ahmadinejad has declared publicly that he wants to “wipe Israel of the face of the map.”

In an article in the Jerusalem Post (Aug 24 2006), he said he would “sacrifice half of [the population] of Iran for the sake of eliminating Israel.” If he has nuclear capability, that is a real threat. He would suddenly be in position to accomplish in about six minutes what it took Adolf Hitler nearly six years to do—kill more than 6 million Jews. Bill Warner has said, “nearly everyone can tell you how many Jews Hitler killed” but Islam is ten times worse. The fact is, Muslims have killed “approximately 270 million” non-Muslims since Islam’s inception.

We don’t need Santorum the theocrat. We don’t need a Theocracy in America with the Ayatollah Santorum. We don’t need a theocratic tyranny like irans to lead our nation nor make us like Iran.
Vote Libertarian trim the deficit and end the political wars. Send Santorum to Iran. Elect Ron Paul the only pragmatic voice of reason. Why fear, fear itself, let’s be brave and enter a brave new world. Why fear Iran we have the military and nukes to crush and vaporize it. Time to reduce the deficit end Afghanistan, bring our military home.