A Daily Briefing on Iran: Santorum: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Must Be Stopped

Angela Couloumbis, Philadelphia Inquirer:

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) yesterday called Iran the principal leader of the "Islamic fascist movement" that poses the greatest threat to America's freedom and way of life, and said the country must be prevented from developing nuclear weapons.

Santorum also proclaimed Iran's president to be "one of the greatest threats this country has ever seen," and guaranteed that those who don't know who he is or what he stands for will know his name within a year. READ MORE

The senator, who is locked in a tough reelection battle this fall with State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., made the remarks during a forceful speech at a press-club luncheon in Harrisburg yesterday, where he conjured a dark future for the United States if Islamic fundamentalism were not stopped.

"We are at war with Islamic fascism," Santorum argued while addressing the standing-room-only audience. "... And the principal leader of this Islamic fascist movement is Iran, led by a man named Mahmoud Ahmadinejad."

"People look at me and say, 'Who is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? I can't even pronounce his name,' " Santorum added. "Well, let me make a guarantee: Within a year, or probably less, every one of you will be able to pronounce Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - you will know him, and know him well."

Santorum also said that while he agreed with President Bush on many things, he parted ways with the President on how to explain the war to the American public. Bush has called it a war on terror, but "this is no more a war on terror than World War II was a war on blitzkrieg. Blitzkrieg is a tactic, it's not our enemy.

"Terrorist attack is not our enemy," he contended. "Our enemy are people who have ideology."

"They're in a holy war," Santorum said of Islamic fundamentalists. "These people are after us not because we oppress them... but because we stand for everything they hate."

The senator said that Islamic extremists were not afraid of death, and contended that they would not stop their attacks even if the United States pulled its forces from Iraq.

Santorum argued that Iran is in the process of developing a nuclear-weapons program in an effort to compete militarily with the United States.

The senator said he has backed the proposed Iran Freedom Support Act, which, among other provisions, would support pro-democracy groups in Iran, punish countries that contribute to that nation's nuclear program, and toughen sanctions against Iran.

Santorum stopped short of saying he would favor striking Iran.

The senator also pointed out that some countries might use oil profits to fund terrorist activities.

But he said U.S. foreign policy challenges abroad underscore the country's need to develop domestic energy sources, and reiterated his support of policies to utilize ethanol and waste coal for those efforts.

"People are dying," Santorum said, his voice rising. "We are at war. This is serious business."

He added that the public will be hearing a lot about his position on foreign policy in the next few months: "This election will turn on this issue. Because this is the issue of our times."

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Contact staff writer Angela Couloumbis at 717-787-5934 or acouloumbis@phillynews.com.