ROFLMAO. Nutcase: Smith: Let's take Saddam's black gold
eagletribune.com
Saturday, April 13, 2002
By Dave Levinthal
Eagle-Tribune Writer
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The United States should no longer buy oil from Iraq, but steal it, U.S. Sen. Bob Smith, R-Wolfeboro, told hundreds of New Hampshire Republicans gathered last night at a party fund-raiser.
"Why don't we just take his oil?" Smith bellowed to the crowd during a fiery 13-minute speech, referring to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "Why buy it? Take it!"
In recent weeks, Smith, whom ethnic Palestinian and 1st District Congressman John E. Sununu is challenging in a Republican primary, has voiced especially strong support for Israel and measures to prevent terrorism. Smith has said he has made only Sununu's voting record, not his ethnicity, a campaign issue.
In several recent speeches including last night's, Smith evoked the words of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in calling for "moral and strategic clarity" by cracking down on terrorists throughout the world, including those within Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United States itself. Iraq this week stopped exporting oil for one month.
"There are no good terrorists and bad terrorists. They are terrorists. They are evil," Smith said, classifying Palestinian suicide bombers as such.
Smith provided a sharp reinforcement to the event's keynote speech by New York Gov. George Pataki, who described in vivid detail his experience in lower Manhattan the morning of Sept. 11, when terrorists slammed two jetliners into the World Trade Center.
While walking the streets of New York City that day, Pataki said he understood how strong New Yorkers can be: Instead of fleeing the city, they were lining up to give blood. Instead of pandemonium, a resolute if not eerie calm hung in the air.
"Freedom requires hard work and sacrifice," Pataki said.
As New York is struggling to close a $7 billion budget gap, caused mainly by the economic fallout of the attacks, Pataki told New Hampshire Republicans that they can also close the Granite State's projected $60 million to $100 million budget gap in 2003 -- without raising taxes.
"Our party is a party that always stands against tax increases," Pataki told the crowd. "Our Republican policies are right for New Hampshire, are right for New York and right for America."
Pataki said he is not supporting either Smith or Sununu in the Granite State primary, but that "the voters of New Hampshire should decide."
Sununu also spoke at the event, dubbed the Red, White and Blue Dinner by Republican State Committee organizers and conducted at the Center of New Hampshire convention center. Tickets cost $50 a piece.
"The terrorist attacks have only strengthened our commitment to free speech, our commitment to racial equality," Sununu said. "We are willing to stand up for our freedom and that's why we will be victorious."
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