Santorum blasts Obama as weak on Iran threat

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum gestures as he speaks at a rally at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. in Fairfield, Calif., Thursday, March 29, 2012. Santorum strongly criticized President Barack Obama in a foreign policy speech that suggested the United States has been weak on Iran, ignores ally Israel and rushes to engage America's enemies. / AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli

(AP) FAIRFIELD, Calif. - Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum strongly criticized President Barack Obama on foreign policy Thursday, saying that the United States has been slow to address Iran's threat to develop nuclear weapons, has ignored its ally Israel and rushes to engage America's enemies.

Santorum suggested that many of Obama's foreign policy decisions have been based on political considerations because the November presidential election is approaching. He pointed to an incident earlier this week in which Obama was caught on tape telling Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that he would have more room to negotiate on missile defense after the November election.

"Here's the president of the United States, the leader of the free world, saying, `Give me a little space, buddy, a little space, a little flexibility, because I've got an election coming up and then I'll be, then I'll throw some of our other allies under the bus," Santorum said.

Santorum spoke to about 200 supporters at the Jelly Belly Candy Co. in Fairfield, Calif., touching on familiar criticisms of the president and repeatedly invoking President Ronald Reagan, who made the candy company famous by serving its jelly beans from his desk at the White House.

In a reference to Reagan's 1986 summit meeting with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, in which their nuclear treaty talks fell apart, Santorum said: "Ronald Reagan didn't whisper to Gorbachev, `Give me some flexibility.' He walked out of Iceland."

The former Pennsylvania senator said Obama has taken his eye off the real threat facing America, the development of a nuclear weapon in Iran, to avoid a confrontation before the election.

"And what has he done on that front? What he's done on that front is the same thing he did off-camera with the president of Russia. `Give me a little time,' and that's exactly what he's given to Iran, a little time," he said.

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Obama has said he didn't have a hidden agenda with Russia and that his comments caught on tape only meant that election-year politics make any nuclear arms reduction or missile defense negotiations extremely difficult.

Santorum was fundraising in California. The state's primary does not come until June, and the state is not typically in play, but Santorum told supporters that this year their votes will matter. In the meantime, he urged them to give generously and to call their friends in Wisconsin.

Santorum also invoked Reagan's name to jab at front-runner Mitt Romney, saying Romney lacks Santorum's core convictions on the economy, social issues and on foreign policy. He held a mini Etch A Sketch, a reference to a comment by a Romney aide who said the former Massachusetts governor would be able to reset his campaign after the extended primary fight.

"No one doubted where Ronald Reagan was on the issue of communism. No one doubted where he was, there was no sense that there might be an Etch A Sketch policy when it came to our national security," he said.

Santorum said he has been consistent in stressing radical Islam as the primary foreign threat against America and pushing for sanctions against Syria and Iran.

The former senator also said Obama is threatening the future stability of Iraq and Afghanistan by signaling the U.S. exit strategy and that he wrongly abandoned missile programs in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Santorum said Obama has endangered the state of Israel because of his "lack of moral certitude, the lack of vision, of the greatness of our country."

At one point, as Santorum emphasized his socially conservative values, including opposition to abortion and gay marriage, a woman in the back of the room interrupted his speech and yelled, "California stands for marriage equality." Santorum eventually asked the crowd to drown out the woman with clapping and cheers, and security removed her from the room.

[wildemanne]

ricks the rethugllican version of a scarecrow,he needs a brain but with the koch brothers that,s just not possible it's not allowed for commiepublicans to use them their head does a feedback loop and it explodes right before your very eyes, just sing high praise to former pres. Clinton in front of them and watch the fun

[FACEITT]

Santorum is a real piece of shyte who knows nothing about the Iranian threat, being the draft dodger that he was. He wants to take us to war because he thinks that makes him look strong. What it does is make him look like the fool that he is. Old Rick has two enemies....His brain and his mouth.

[TimeToEvolve]

Yeah, we know your problem Sanitorium, you are a firm father figure conservative whose brain has gone down another evolutionary path.

We know, Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran. That was no joke, that is the Republicon brain at work and really how they think.

We have a national problem on our hands, it is called the conservative brain.

[shnovitz]

Sorry, folks, but I agree with Mr Santorum. I think President Obama is a fine man, possibly the first President of the USA in many years who has genuine integrity and will always be faithful to his family and country. But I think he will leave Iran and its nuclear capabilities and threats to Israel, knowing that Israel has to, and will, defend itself. When it is sure that it does not dare wait any longer. The USA - whether under President Obama or anyone else - will not help Israel. President Obama will let Israel do the work, so that Israel will be blamed and Jews attacked (physically) all over the world - as always happens when Israel reaches a point where it simply HAS to act in self defence. This is nothing new. The USA knew exactly what was happening to Europe's Jews during WWII; evidence was available everywhere; the President ordered that railway lines to Auschwitz be bombed; the air force refused; Roosevelt let it go, didn't press the point; and during that final year when it was more easy than ever to bomb the lines to Auschwitz, hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews were gassed to death and burnt in ovens or open pits. While the USA watched. While the UK watched. AND while the UK used the time to drop food to Holland in Operation Market Garden - knowing that the Jews of Europe were almost all destroyed. Neither of those two powers helped the Jews then; neither of them will help the Jews now. We are not fools. We know hypocrites when we meet them. Santorum may not be a great candidate for any country's President, but he is right about this one thing: Obama will do nothing to assist Israel.

[TimeToEvolve]

You can't set up an apartheid state, do genocide and terrorism and not expect to pay the price. Israel has not stopped their taking others land for more than 60 years. What do you expect?

[travislg]

I have to disagree with you. The President has stressed several times that he has Israel's back, but also wants to try to avert an all out war. Any other person who says that we should start acting militarily isn't thinking straight. We are just now getting out of several wars and it's probably not a good idea to jump into this messy situation. The best way forward is let the sanctions against Iran set it, they are years away from being able to actually have a bomb ready, if that is their intent. I don't doubt that they have aspirations to have a nuclear stockpile, but if we can avert a war why not try? Going to war with Iran would be costly and should be avoided as long as possible, military action should be our last option.

[OKranchgirl]

Santorum is a warmonger. Makes me sick. He does not even care about the thousands of US soldiers who have lost their lives in needless wars.

For peace and prosperity, Ron Paul 2012

[TJphoto]

Arm Chair Quarterback. Nothing more, nothing less. Rick, you are not in his shoes, never have been, never will be.

[2happy2ride]

NO ONE should be allowed to run for public office WITHOUT considerable business experience. Santorum has NEVER had a real job, how the heck can he possibly have the wisdom to correct our economy? He can't even handle the media or a heckler.
Ego is thinking you know what to do, Knowledge is having learned how to do it, Wisdom is having done it repeatedly, with successful results.
Go MITT!

[travislg]

Santorum makes me sick. This guy will spew lies and his supporters will take it as facts and not question it. (no puns intended, but I'll take it) I like how Stephen Colbert exposed him as a liar when he said that people were being euthanized against their will in the Netherlands. Funny that his campaign director told a reporter that was from the Netherlands that a lot of what Rick Santorum says comes from his heart. So basically this guy can lie all day and night and at the end of the day all he has to say is that he is speaking from his heart. Wow, just beyond stupid

[jjoe57]

`Give me a little space, buddy, a little space, a little flexibility, because I've got an election coming up and then I'll be, then I'll throw some of our other allies under the bus," Santorum said. Like everyone else, I listened to the President's open-mike remarks, and I think Santorum has misquoted him.

[FACEITT]

He did misquote the president and that was deliberate. Santorum can't help himself, he is a chronic dishonest flimflam man and that isn't going to change. He is very deceitful and lies at the drop of a hat if it suits his purpose, doesn't matter if there is absolute proof that what he says is a lie. What do you expect from the grandson of a practising communist...the same Italian grandfather Ricko says he gets all his advice from.

[KPeters_from_UK]

God! I don't understand the GOP. They scream that people can't control themselves with sex. People need to be sexually monitored such as lack of birth control, keeping legs together, no abortions, no same sex marriages...etc, etc. But then on the other hand, the GOP are so damn gung ho to shoot people then ask questions later, bomb a country we don't like, spend billions on weapons and war.