Newt Nails It
Newt Gingrich appeared on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace to address the North Korea Missile launch. Newt took a hard nosed line and he nailed it. But first, let me take you back to before the election. Remember when Joe Biden said that the world would test a young President Obama with a created crisis? He told us that we would find out that Obama has a spine made of steel. So let's take a look at how Obama responded to this act by North Korea. President Obama was in Prague on Sunday pushing for "a world without nuclear weapons" and here are some quotes from his speech.
"As a nuclear power, as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act."
"Now is the time for a strong international response. . . . All nations must come together to build a stronger, global regime. And that's why we must stand shoulder to shoulder to pressure the North Koreans to change course."
"We want Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations, politically and economically. We will support Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy with rigorous inspections. That's a path that the Islamic Republic can take. Or the government can choose increased isolation, international pressure, and a potential nuclear arms race in the region that will increase insecurity for all."
"Today, the Cold War has disappeared but thousands of those weapons have not."
Now I want to take a quote from Newt Gingrich, and apply it to that last quote. "North Korea is a totally irresponsible dictatorship run by a person who is clearly out of touch with reality". Sound familiar? Okay, to call him a dictator at this point might be going a bit far. But "irresponsible" and "out of touch with reality" certainly fit our President. After all, in the days leading up to the North Korean launch, Obama was setting up meetings with Russia to broker a deal to reduce our nuclear stockpiles. Is it not a bit irresponsible to throw down your weapons as your enemy is brandishing his to the world? And how about out of touch with reality? The reality of the situation is, there are far more nuclear armed countries than there were in the days of the cold war. The nuclear threat is no longer isolated to two countries in a standoff. Now more than ever before, the "mutually assured destruction" clause must be exercised. How could one call that last quote from Obama anything other than out of touch?
The fact is, one couldn't have a worse strategy towards North Korea than does Obama. After warning North Korea not to test the missile, we must take a firm stance now that they have. Yet Obama wants to run off to the U.N. and cry foul and ask for sanctions. I guess this is the "Speak loudly, and drive a big get away car" administration. So now, we move along to Gingrich and what he had to say on the matter.
And, gentlemen, welcome back to "FOX News Sunday." Let's start with today's news.
Mr. Gingrich, before today's launch, you said the North Koreans should not be allowed to fire a missile and that the U.S., quote, "should take whatever preemptive actions are necessary." Are you saying that "President Gingrich" would have taken out that missile on the launch pad?
GINGRICH: Yes, I'm saying if you look at the new book by my co- author Bill Fortune called "One Second After," and you look at electromagnetic pulse capabilities, which can take out -- one weapon could take out a third of the electric generating capacity of the United States.
We do not appreciate the scale of threat that is evolving on the planet, and North Korea is a totally irresponsible dictatorship run by a person who is clearly out of touch with reality, and I think to say, you know, we're now going to have another meeting at the U.N. to have another paper resolution that has meaningless effect is very dangerous.
I think both with Iran and with North Korea, you have countries which could decide at any morning to try to actually use their weapons.
WALLACE: So you're saying that "President Gingrich" would have taken out that...
GINGRICH: There are -- there are three or four techniques that could have been used, from unconventional forces to standoff capabilities, to say we're not going to tolerate a North Korean missile launch, period.
I mean, the world's either got to decide that North Korea is utterly dangerous -- and again, I'd recommend -- look at electromagnetic pulse, which changes -- which we've known about since 1958. It changes every equation about how risky these weapons are.
The moral of the story? When you tell a nation that an action is provocative and will be perceived as a threat, you must follow those words up with actions. Otherwise, the threat sees your response as weak. If you don't respond to this threat, why would you respond to the next one? Furthermore, the rest of the world sees your failure to act. More important right now than North Korea is the threat from Iran. What message is sent to that rogue regime as this administration simultaneously backpedals from it's tough talk and softens the language towards Iran. On his first trip abroad, Obama has shown that the only thing more frightening than his domestic power grabs is his utter lack of understanding of the world we live in and the threats we face.
