Speaking to Florida Republicans in the wake of a series of deadly terrorist attacks in Paris, GOP candidates for the White House largely stuck Saturday to foreign policy on the second day of the state party’s “Sunshine Summit” event.
It was a striking change from Friday’s first day of the gathering when most of the high-profile contenders for the Republican presidential nomination used standard stump speeches and emphasized their ties to Florida. Instead, the candidates who spoke Saturday included some whose poll numbers have been lower, and they focused on the fallout from the assaults on Paris.
Those attacks overnight Friday — or late in the first day of the summit — left 129 people dead, according to media reports. The Islamic State militant group, which is also known as ISIS, has claimed responsibility.
That put the spotlight Saturday on issues of terrorism and how the United States should handle the Islamic State’s growth in Iraq and Syria. Many of the candidates either spoke extensively about the attacks or scrapped their standard speeches to focus entirely on the events in Paris and whether the United States should expand its current air campaign against ISIS.
Several also used the events to try to distinguish themselves from other contenders on the issue of national security experience.
Carly Fiorina, a businesswoman who had surged to the top tier of GOP candidates but has lately seen her numbers fade, laid at least part of the blame for the attacks on President Barack Obama.
“Mostly, I am outraged because the murder, the mayhem, the danger, the tragedy that we see unfolding in Paris, in the Middle East, around the world and, too often, in our own homeland, are the direct consequences of this administration’s policies,” Fiorina told a cheering crowd of party activists and officials at the Rosen Shingle Creek resort. “You cannot lead from behind.”
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania said the attacks highlighted the need for someone who has dealt with foreign policy over a long timeframe, particularly in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.
He suggested that he and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina fit that bill, along with perhaps Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a former congressman. But Santorum also cast doubt on the relevance of Kasich’s experience.
“I think if you’re interested in national security, you’re looking at frankly two people who have had national security experience in the post-9/11 world,” Santorum said. “That would actually be Sen. Graham and myself. Congressman Kasich was long gone, and I think if you look at some of the policies he’s advocating, I don’t think he clearly understands the threat that radical Islam is. He wasn’t in Congress and wasn’t dealing with it.”
For his part, Kasich called for NATO to invoke the mutual defense clause of the organization’s founding treaty.
Kasich called for no-fly zones to be enforced over Syria, where the government of Bashar al-Assad has sought to hold onto power by brutally crushing a rebellion in a war blamed for killing tens of thousands of people, leaving millions homeless and providing a breeding ground for radical groups like ISIS.
“Last night, it was not just one isolated, small group and not just an attack that we have seen of just a lone wolf,” Kasich said. “Ladies and gentlemen, we need to understand that these attacks really represent an attack on Western civilization.”
But not everyone agreed. Former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore, who pointed to his experience as the state’s chief executive during the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon, said a no-fly zone would be dangerous now that Russia has begun a military intervention in Syria.
“And frankly, we should have had a no-fly zone, which was imposed and put the burden on the Russians to try to intervene and to overturn that, which they probably would not have tried to do,” Gilmore said. “But by delaying so long, and really leaving a lot of our allies out there swinging, now the Russians have intervened and put us in a position where we could end up in a war with Russia.”
Some candidates also used the attacks to highlight divides on how Obama and social conservatives view the conflict between the West and groups like ISIS. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was among those calling for blunt declarations about the involvement of Muslims in terrorist groups.
“We need a president who will say this: Islam has a problem. That problem is radical Islam,” Jindal said. “We need a president who will say this to the Muslim clerics and leaders: It’s not enough to condemn generic acts of violence. They must make it clear, they must go after these individuals by name, and say that they are not martyrs. If you kill in the name of Islam, you are not a martyr. You are not going to enjoy a reward in the afterlife, but rather, you are going straight to hell where you belong.”
Many of the candidates also criticized Obama’s willingness to accept thousands of Syrian refugees in response to the suffering. They said the nation wouldn’t be able to adequately screen potential refugees to make sure that terrorists don’t blend in with other Syrians.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky called for regional powers to absorb some of those flowing out of Syria.
“I would like to see Saudi Arabia take them. I’d also like to see Iran take them,” Paul said. “The two arsonists in that region throwing gasoline on the fire — Saudi Arabia, Iran — they’re not taking any refugees. I think the refugees need to go to some of the local countries.”
At least one candidate seemed to use the dangers of the world to remind Republican voters about the risks of nominating a flamboyant outsider like real-estate tycoon Donald Trump. Without naming Trump, who has vaulted to the top of the polls, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he understands the anger that many GOP voters feel.
“And then you take that anger and you want to use your vote as a chance to send a message about that anger,” Christie said. “These times are too dire for that luxury, and the threats we are facing are too great for that act of vanity.”
–Brandon Larrabee, News Service of Florida
Anonymous says
Yes, we do need President that will address the Islamic Extremist. Instead we have one that doesn’t even acknowledge them as Islamic. We should not confuse Islam with the Extremist but if you want to understand them you must call it like it is. They want to kill everyone who does not want to practice their version of Islam. Not only that women are treated as rags, to be used and thrown away as needed. There is no education other than brainwashing everyone to their belief system. Obama didn’t cause this but he is very weak on terrorism. ISIS has prospered during Obama’s administration because Obama is a liberal that won’t us our military to defend our freedom. Instead he makes up stories about the radical right in America being the root cause of (Benghazi) the problem.
Geezer says
Gasoline is a reasonable $2.19 a gallon here in New England.
I blame Obama for this.
Sandra Reynolds says
So what’s new? Of course he is to blame, after all he ordered the French military to bomb ISIS strongholds. And again today. For this he should be impeached.
Anonymous says
And our second string president and demacrat party blames bush.
Outsider says
Actually, you can blame Exxon, Shell and the like for your low gas prices. Once these companies started drilling in the U.S., on private land, as Obama did not want more drilling on public land, OPEC saw us as a threat to their control of the oil supply and prices. They responded by maintaining their output, which drove, and continues to drive down oil prices making it financially impossible to exploit our own supplies. As far as ISIS goes, Obama referred to them recently as the “J.V. Team.” That was yet another example of him trying to deny reality and create his own dream world so he wouldn’t have to deal with what is actually going on. It’s kind of like how he declared ISIS “contained” only hours before the French attacks. He still doesn’t get it, and probably never will.
yankee says
If muslim Jihadists paid NRA dues, republicans would defend their right to kill americans.
Rich Mikola says
As well they should!
Knightwatch says
I can’t fathom how these Republican clowns, or their profoundly ignorant followers, can actually function in a normal complex society. They spew hate and discontent and the most gullible conservatives eat it up. How sad that these people choose to live their lives fearful and delusional.
Lancer says
US foreign policy is a complete disaster. It is the 0bam-bam Administration, with HilLIARy and the ineffectual moron John Kerry, that has orchestrated the worst foreign policy in US history.
The Iraqi withdrawal, the Russian reset, the mishandling of the Arab Spring, supporting the radical Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the destabilization of Libya, the red line in Syria.
It is failure only a leftist can ignore, evade or, simply, not understand.