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Cruz: ‘Solution to ISIS Is Not Expanded Medicaid in Iraq’
CNSNews ^ | February 11, 2015 - 2:41 PM | Melanie Hunter

Posted on 02/12/2015 8:17:54 AM PST by SoConPubbie

(CNSNews.com) – Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in a speech at the Defeat Jihad Summit by the Center for Security Policy, said Wednesday that the solution to defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is “not eradicating poverty throughout the Middle East” or “expanded Medicaid in Iraq.”

“The solution to ISIS is not eradicating poverty throughout the Middle East. The solution to ISIS is not expanded Medicaid in Iraq. The solution to ISIS is to hunt down and kill the terrorist leaders, but when you have an administration that will not utter the words ‘radical Islamic terrorist,’ you have an administration that is unwilling to effectively design and implement a strategy to defeat radical Islamic terrorists,” said Cruz.

Cruz said it’s as if the Obama administration was given “a do not speak card.”

“The words radical Islamic terrorism do not come out of the president’s mouth. The word jihad does not come out of the president’s mouth, and that is dangerous,” Cruz said.

Cruz recounted the words of Joint Chief of Staff Chairman Army Gen. Martin Dempsey at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing months ago.

“I took the opportunity to ask the secretary of Defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: what would be required militarily if the objective were to destroy – not to degrade, not to weaken, to destroy – ISIS in 90 days. What would be required militarily? The response from General Dempsey: I’m sorry that is simply not possible,” Cruz said.

“Now my response was, ‘Okay, perhaps that timeframe is unrealistic. You tell me from the military perspective if the object is to destroy ISIS, what is required to do so.’ The response was, ‘We cannot destroy ISIS until we change the underlying conditions on ground that make young men in poverty susceptible to extremism,’” Cruz recounted.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in September, Dempsey told Cruz defeating ISIS in 90 days is “not possible.”

“We could destroy a lot of equipment; we could drive them underground, if you will. But as I said, they will only be defeated or destroyed once they’re rejected by the populations in which they hide,” Dempsey said at the time.

“There is a technical term for such things: it is nonsense. At the bar, it’s a different technical term, but live streamed in front of our friends in the media, nonsense is the term we will use,” Cruz said in his speech at the Center for Security Policy Wednesday.

In Cruz’s opinion, the solution to defeating ISIS is to immediately arm the Kurds. The Kurdish Peshmerga fighters “are effective, disciplined, serious fighters,” he said.

“They are boots on the ground right now this instant. They are fighting the fight with ISIS right now this instance. The problem is ISIS has US military equipment that they’ve seized, and they’re using it to murder the Kurds, and we rather foolishly are insisting on sending any military aid through Baghdad, which delays and prevents the Kurds from actually getting that weaponry,” Cruz said.

Cruz also criticized the administration’s approach to the situation in Iraq by “seeking political consensus and compromise.”

“And the entire approach is driven by a desire of seeking political consensus and compromise. You hear the administration say on and on that first in Iraq we’ve got to see the different groups come together in peace and harmony - we have to bring Sunni and Shiite together,” Cruz said.

“Listen, the Shias and Sunnis have been battling with each other since 632 AD. For a president of the United States to believe he is going to resolve a 1500-year-old religious conflict is the height of hubris and ignorance,” he said.

“It’s not our job or objective to cause Sunni and Shiite to sit down and break bread together and embrace like brothers. It is our job to prevent Islamist terrorists who want to murder Americans and our allies from being able to do so,” Cruz added.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cruz; tedcruz
"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton
 
"We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan
 
"A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792
 
"It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams
 
"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
 

1 posted on 02/12/2015 8:17:54 AM PST by SoConPubbie
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To: SoConPubbie; Kale; Jarhead9297; COUNTrecount; notaliberal; DoughtyOne; RitaOK; MountainDad; ...
Ted Cruz Ping!

If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.

Please beware, this is a high-volume ping list!


CRUZ or LOSE!


2 posted on 02/12/2015 8:18:27 AM PST by SoConPubbie (Mitt and Obama: They're the same poison, just a different potency)
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To: SoConPubbie

Obama plans to expand Medicaid to Iraq ? LOL


3 posted on 02/12/2015 8:22:16 AM PST by molson209 (Blank)
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To: SoConPubbie

Gotta kill the terrorist followers too.


4 posted on 02/12/2015 8:24:45 AM PST by cripplecreek ("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
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To: SoConPubbie

“The words radical Islamic terrorism do not come out of the president’s mouth. The word jihad does not come out of the president’s mouth, and that is dangerous,” Cruz said.

“Calling a thing by its right name is the beginning of wisdom” Gibran


5 posted on 02/12/2015 8:26:04 AM PST by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: SoConPubbie

America has suffered so much from this communists bunch of corrupt government that it may never recover. King Obama is insane. His Administration follows this insane idiot like a bunch of sheep and they have no mind of their own. Most Democrats are blind uninformed jackasses.


6 posted on 02/12/2015 8:28:27 AM PST by Logical me
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To: SoConPubbie

So long America believes in the religion of peace idiocy instead of seeing how the left is so glad to instigate a WWI humiliated Hitler and Nazi Germany into a second or third worl war through Islam, America will never be serious about fighting this war and Obama will not be removed as a result since we do not see him as a traitor in such war.

Basically, by handing out bread to them, we humiliate them further, and by calling them peaceful we are underestimating the muslim’s greatest vulnerability: the tendency to be butt hurt given the nature of staturory consenting gang rapes going on there.

No, it is not the religion of a people insisting on peace the way the Budhists do it, it is not a religion capable of reacting normally to any situation, good or bad, taking everything the wrong way, on purpose and then some.


7 posted on 02/12/2015 8:36:59 AM PST by lavaroise (A well regulated gun being necessary to the state, the rights of the militia shall not be infringed)
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To: molson209
Cruz struck the right note on this one. He's getting better at foreign affairs and directed attacks against the Obama foreign policy.

I still can't agree with his support of the Kiev government....seemed a little naïve to tout McCain's line. The next president is going to have to sort things out with Putin.

8 posted on 02/12/2015 8:49:42 AM PST by grania
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To: SoConPubbie

It is going to be lose then because I can’t see the Elite Republicans, a/k/a, Democrat Lights, and the media allowing Cruz to get the Republican nomination. Or for that matter the moles of the Republican Elites on this forum allowing Cruz to get the nomination.


9 posted on 02/12/2015 8:59:09 AM PST by sport
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To: grania

You are right, there are lots of excellent points Cruz gave, including that one from the general who was concerned about the unemployment of the young men there. It was a similar solution, like midnight basketball, that was given for the Islamic unrest in France. Medicare to rebels is a delusional fantasy of the left because it includes raping the US taxpayer and Peace Corp and not deft, military strategy leveraged for our goals of security.

I think also, Cruz shows he knows more than that poseur egghead in the WH, when he shoots down the feel good timeline for our presence there. The Middle East has been in a existential battle for centuries. A few years, which after, BO will not suffer an consequences, is just to mollify the pacist handwringers on the left to tell their constituents with a wink, wink.


10 posted on 02/12/2015 9:09:29 AM PST by lulu16 (May the Good Lord take a liking to you!)
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To: SoConPubbie

This is EXACTLY what I want my President telling me about ISIS.

His ideas on Ukraine, which seem to be puzzling for some, will be borne out as well, sooner than later. Like Reagan showed us, Russia can be bankrupted into retreat.

GO CRUZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


11 posted on 02/12/2015 9:33:23 AM PST by txhurl
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To: molson209

That’s probably in response to Obama starting an ISIS press conference minimizing terrorism, then segwaying to “we’re here to make everyone healthy”.


12 posted on 02/12/2015 12:24:06 PM PST by tbw2
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