Yes, it is speculation, but what if Iraq conducts elections and the result is an Islamic republic like, say, Iran!
NBC's Tim Russert questioned South Carolina Republican Senate candidate Rep. DeMint during last Sunday's Meet the Press' Senate debate series over the weekend:
MR. RUSSERT: If the Iraqis choose to have a fundamentalist Islamic regime, would that be acceptable?REP. DeMINT: Well, they need a democratic government and if they choose, whatever their leaders are, they're going to choose that, and I think the president supports them setting up the government that they want, but we just need to make sure it's a democratic, accountable government, and that they can defend themselves against terrorists.
MR. RUSSERT: But if they vote for an Islamic republic like Iran, that's their vote, we would accept that?
REP. DeMINT: Well, that's not a democracy if it's like Iran. It needs to be an accountable government and they're going to have elections and they're going to have an accountable democratic government.
MR. RUSSERT: So we would resist the will of the Iraqi people?
REP. DeMINT: That--we wouldn't--no, if they get a chance to vote, Tim, they would not be voting to set up a regime like they have in Iran where they don't have a vote.
The Vietnam-era domino theory, which said that if one country falls to communism, others will follow, seems so foolish today. The reverse domino theory -- that if one Islamic country turns towards a democracy, others will follow -- is equally foolish. The best way to lead is by example. In fact, Bush was correct when he said we will never fully defeat terrorists. There are always going to be people who want to get us, the U.S., and living in a free society -- a significant assumption given this President -- there are just going to be new and creative ways to attack us. Unfortunately it is the world we live in today. But the best way to deal with terrorism is by making the world a better place so you have fewer people disgruntled. The United States should encourage democracy, but it must be something that comes from within a country itself. Are we really surprised that the Iraqi people are not standing up against the insurgents? They didn't fight against Saddam when he was in power. Unfortunately, when the Kurds did raise up against Saddam, the United States didn't follow through on its promised support. But today, they must feel that this is not a mess that they started. Yet it is something that has great impact on their lives. Better? Sitting here in Washington, D.C., I cannot even begin to judge such a question. I don't know what it is like to live under a dictator and the closest I have come to living in their current state of anarchy was here in Washington on September 11, 2001.
Unfortunately I do not see a good end to this, and I certainly don't see a good end if we just 'stay the course.'
One other DeMint item. Russert asked him about an Iraq exit strategy. See if you can find an answer.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. DeMint, when President Bush was debating in 2000, he said that he would never go to war unless he had a clearly defined exit strategy. What is our exit strategy for Iraq?REP. DeMINT: Well, Tim, every night in South Carolina, over 2,300 families go to bed worried about their Guardsman, reservists, who are in Afghanistan or Iraq. I've been to funerals of fallen soldiers. I mean, it is a very serious issue to us, and I don't think the president or me would put our troops in harm's way without a real reason. But Americans are freer than any other country because we've always been willing to fight for that freedom.
MR. RUSSERT: But what is our exit strategy?
REP. DeMINT: Our exit strategy is to help the Iraqi people set up a democratic government, a stable democratic government, and we can't leave until we make sure that they're free and that they have a stable government.
Stay the course.
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