Rudy's shot at Edwards: War on Terror 'not a bumpersticker'
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuilani continued to trumpet his perceived strength in leading the US in the war on terror, taking a not-so-subtle shot at Democratic candidate John Edwards' assertion that the phrase is little more than a slogan.
"This is not a bumper sticker; this war is a real war," Giuliani said at Tuesday night's Republican debate in response to a question about Iran.
Giuliani, along with several other candidates, said he would not rule out a nuclear strike against Iran if the country's suspected nuclear weapons program could not otherwise be disbanded through diplomatic means.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney agreed that the US should not take any "options off the table," including a nuclear strike, but he stressed that he would pursue policies to "move Islam toward modernity" in order to lessen anti-American hostilities in the Middle East.
Romeny, too, was unable to resist taking a shot at Democrats.
"They don't think there's a war on terror," he said.
Edwards has accused the Bush administration of using the term "war on terror" for little more than sloganeering, calling it a "bumper sticker" message that lacks meaning. After the debate, his campaign responded to Giuliani's salvo, releasing a statement saying Edwards "will fight and stop terrorists with a strong, smart national security policy that is focused on the mission of protecting Americans, not using bumper-sticker slogans for political advantage."
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