Questioning the Candidates on Nuclear Weapons, Iran and Iraq

These are all possible questions for candidates. Feel free to alter the questions or pull parts of different questions to create your own. Let us know how it goes by sending us a report to info@nhpeaceaction.org. Thank you. Nuclear Weapons 1.    The Bush Administration and the Department of Energy have proposed a dangerous new generation of nuclear weapons.  Do you oppose the two major new administration proposals called Complex 2030 and the Reliable Replacement Warhead, which would rebuild the Nuclear Weapons Complex and develop a new nuclear bomb? 2.    How, as President, will you work to uphold our commitments to Article VI of the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty, which calls for the nuclear powers to pursue nuclear disarmament? 3.    Recently former government officials including Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Sam Nunn, and William Perry have called for the "reassertion of the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons." What is your vision of the role nuclear weapons should play in U.S. foreign policy? 4.    In a January op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Henry Kissinger and others wrote about the tremendous dangers of nuclear weapons and makes the call to work towards the elimination of our nuclear arsenals. Do you believe we must work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons, and if so, how would you do it as President of the United States? 5.    The U.S. is keeping thousands of undeployed nuclear weapons that it has committed not to deploy. The U.S. currently has 10,000 nuclear weapons, with about 5000 deployed. Under the Moscow Treaty the US committed to go to about 2000 deployed weapons by 2012. Will you commit to make it a priority to dismantle all existing stocks of non-deployed weapons and other weapons as soon as they are taken off deployment? 6.    Do you support the current U.S. policy of keeping almost 2000 weapons on hair-trigger alert, ready to launch within 30 minutes? If not, what do you propose to do about it? 7.    Do you think it is more important to spend money to modernizing the U.S. nuclear complex (Complex 2030) and designing and developing new weapons (RRW) rather than dismantling the thousands of weapons that have been taken off deployment as part of the arms control process and are now just sitting around? 8.    Will you oppose the expanded use of nuclear power in order to restrain nuclear weapons proliferation and the threat of nuclear terrorism? Iraq/US Imperialism 9.    Whatever its original intentions, the U.S. has funded, trained, armed and put in power a sectarian government whose security forces are ethnically cleansing Baghdad of Sunnis. How do you justify supporting such a regime, sending our soldiers to defend it, and paying billions in tax dollars to prop it up? 10.    The Bush Administration has used the "U.S. Global War on Terror" to promote a long-term U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq. Do you believe in this "war on terror"? If you do, can you define what this war is against, how we will know that we've "won" the war, and the financial and human resources you're willing to expend on it? Do you believe there are alternatives to the endless use of military force? 11.    Most experts argue that achieving a peaceful and stable Iraq requires a focus on more than just the issue of the U.S. troop presence.  Can you tell us your thoughts regarding the role of the U.S. in Iraq regarding reconstruction, political development, and regional diplomacy? 12.     Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former National Security Adviser (to President Jimmy Carter), wrote recently that "The war in Iraq is a historic strategic and moral calamity" and said that "It is undermining America's global legitimacy...  tarnishing America's moral credentials (and) intensifying regional instability." ['A Road Map Out Of Iraq' by Zbigniew Brzezinski, Los Angeles Times, February 11, 2007]. To end this calamity and to begin to restore America's standing in the world, will you call for all US troops to be quickly pulled out of Iraq this year and for the US commit to paying full reparations for the death and destruction caused by our invasion and occupation?  13.    President Bush and others (including Hilary Clinton --Clinton Says Some G.I.'s in Iraq Would Remain, NY Times, March 19, 2007) have proposed that even if the war in Iraq ends, they want to keeping US troops in Iraq for the foreseeable future as a way to continue asserting American military power in the Middle East. Do you think this is a proper role for US troops, or should they be all be brought home and used only to defend the country against an attack on the homeland? 14.     President Bush has proposed a military budget of $623 billion for 2008. This includes $141 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan next year. It also includes spending over $40 billion on dozens of new more advanced warplanes, and new ships, including a new aircraft carrier and a new submarine. Do you think the U.S. should stop spending money on expensive new weapons and instead re-direct these resources on providing proper care for injured civilians and soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq and speeding up reconstruction efforts in both countries? 15.    The US is the only country to have hundreds of military bases spread around the world. Should not all these bases be closed and the soldiers brought home so that we can dramatically reduce our military budget and have all our armed forces based in the US where they can help defend the homeland from possible attack? Iran 16.    President Bush, Senator Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, and Senator Edwards have said that "all options are on the table" with respect to Iran. The message they (seem to) support is this: The U.S. is a nation ready to use military force, including nuclear weapons, on the populations of another country.  Are you willing to take the nuclear option off the table with Iran, oppose the military buildup in the region, promote diplomacy, and speak out against economic sanctions against civilian Iranians? What are the concrete steps do you propose to de-escalate the current tensions with Iran? 17.    The United Nations charter says that "all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." Do you think you think the US should abide by the UN Charter and if so, how do you reconcile your position with your statement that "all options are on the table" when it comes to Iran? (Senator Obama, Clinton, Edwards) 18.    The United Nations charter says that "all Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state." Do you think you think the US should abide by the UN Charter and if so, how do you reconcile your position with your statement that "all options are on the table" when it comes to Iran? (Senator Obama, Clinton, Edwards)

< Prev		Next >