How would would you, as President Obama, solve the problems in Iraq without dealing with the role of Iran down there?
Oh, we have to deal with the role of Iran. The question is whether we deal with Iran through saber-rattling, or whether we deal with Iran by direct diplomatic engagement. The key for us is to engage in the sort of direct talks that we engaged in, by the way, when Iran cooperated with us in dealing with the Taliban in Afghanistan. It’s that sort of direct engagement that this president has been unwilling to do, but under an Obama administration would be, I think a top priority. It sounds a little bit, sir, like you are all carrot and no stick, if I might just use a cliche. Well, maybe that’s because we haven’t been talking about what kinds of military actions are available. The truth is that I’ve said repeatedly that military options should remain on the table. The question is, do you lead with those or do you present carrots and sticks at the same time? I think Iran understands what military threats we pose. They’re not surprised that we could strike them and strike them hard. What we
