Press Release - Santorum: Iran Key To Problems In Iraq

Press Release - Santorum: Iran Key To Problems In Iraq

U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, facing an election in which the war in Iraq has become a major issue, said the toppling of Saddam Hussein made the United States safer, and he said Iran now represents the most pressing threat to stability in the Middle East.

Santorum, a Republican, said that if he is re-elected, he will continue to push for strict sanctions on Iran. While acknowledging that "mistakes have been made" in the war in Iraq, Santorum said a larger error would be for the United States to ignore what he believes is an Iranian leadership intent on carrying out an apocalyptic battle against the West.

Santorum told the Erie Times-News Editorial Board that in Iraq, "we underestimated the capability of our enemy because of the asymmetric threats and our inability as a military to effectively deal with that.

"But we have to understand that Iran is the genesis of these problems," Santorum said. "Until we deal with Iran, we are going to continue to have problems in Iraq, we are going to continue to have problems in Afghanistan."

He said the Iranian leadership wants a democratic Iraq to fail because the leaders fear a "prosperous and democratic moderate Islamic state." He said he does not consider the current fighting in Iraq indicative of civil war. He referred to the fighting as "sectarian violence."

"Iran is the principal reason we are seeing the fomenting of sectarian violence" in Iraq, Santorum said. "We underestimated the role Iran would play. We have done a terrible job containing Iran's influence in Iraq."

Santorum, 48, is seeking his third consecutive six-year term as Pennsylvania's junior U.S. senator. During a 40-minute session with the Editorial Board on Tuesday, Santorum focused on Iran and national security as he sought to differentiate himself from his Democratic opponent, state Treasurer Bob Casey, 46, who is leading Santorum in the polls.

Santorum said Casey, son of the late former Gov. Robert P. Casey, wants to "run behind the name of Bob Casey and make this a race about George Bush."

"George Bush is going to be gone in two years," Santorum said. Speaking of the Senate race, he said, "Are we going to have someone who can actually do the job?"

Santorum said he believes the removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and the post-9/11 offensive in Afghanistan, allowed the United States to eliminate "two nation-states that have been outright and obvious supporters of terrorism. And, as a result, the United States has been safe."

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