Sign up for 5280's weekly e-newsletters. Want the latest restaurant scoop? The latest happenings around town? Access to exclusive events and deals just for 5280 readers? It has been well-documented that Rep. Tom Tancredo is seeking the Republican Presidential nomination in 2008, which as he says is a way to spark more debate about the problem of illegal immigration. Most observers would agree that Tancredo has little chance at winning that nomination, but if he isn’t more careful, he may soon find himself in a tough fight for re-election to his House seat in 2006.
Tancredo went on a radio show Friday and talked about responding to terrorist attacks in a manner that was at best a poor choice of words and at worst a serious problem for the United States. The Rocky Mountain News has the story:
The Republican congressman made his remarks Friday during an interview with talk show host Pat Campbell on WFLA in Orlando, Fla.
Campbell asked Tancredo how the country should respond if terrorists were to strike several U.S. cities with nuclear weapons.
“Well, what if you said something like — if this happens in the United States, and we determine that it is the result of extremist, fundamentalist Muslims, you know, you could take out their holy sites,” Tancredo answered.
“You’re talking about bombing Mecca,” Campbell said.
“Yeah,” Tancredo responded.
The congressman went on to say that he was “just throwing out some ideas” but that an “ultimate threat” might have to be met with an “ultimate response.”
Tancredo released a statement Sunday evening in which he said he was simply trying to figure out what the United States could use as a threat to deter future attacks.
“Among the many things we might do to prevent such an attack on America would be to lay out there as a possibility the destruction of these sites,” he wrote.
Tancredo’s office tried to clarify those remarks on Sunday with the same line that he was “just throwing out ideas,” as though that excuses the comment in any way. The White House already doesn’t like Tancredo for openly challenging the Bush Administration on illegal immigration, and comments like this go even further in threatening U.S. diplomacy efforts. While Tancredo is in a safe Republican district, if he continues to cause trouble for the White House they may decide to seek out a primary opponent to take him out. If that happens, Tancredo will need to win the Presidential nomination just so he can have a job.
Posted 7/18/2005 at 11:20 am by Jason Bane
Politics :: Permalink :: Comments (8)
It’s disturbing that the phrase “Igonorance is bliss” seems to be less of a cliché and more of a motto with Rep. Tancredo. Thank goodness he was not elected to our highest office pre-9/11. For the sake of the millions of Muslims that hold Mecca as the holiest of all places and are not engaged in terroist attacks around the world let’s hope that Tancredo is not nominated to run for president, nor even put in a position to have the slightest influence on American counter-terrorism efforts. Stick to shooting clay pigeons Tom, leave the counter-terrorism “ideas” to those less willing to eliminate millions of people who worship in peace.
Western Strategy?
Daily Kos: “We’re not going to win Idaho next time, on any platform.
Tom Tancredo Self-Destructs on Radio
In the “you can’t make this up” department, Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, who will try and run for President in 2008 on his illegal immigration plank, made an utter fool of himself on the radio Friday while discussing the possibility…
Is this a story or a editorial?
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State Department Criticizes Tancredo’s Comments
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[...] the deep-end a few weeks back, culminating with his comments that the U.S. should consider bombing Mecca and other holy sites, he’s gone from being a recognized voice on the subject of illegal immi [...]
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